Atkinson Lewis, specialists in supporting solicitors, barristers and social workers in childcare cases for the family courts are marking 14 – 27 May as ‘Foster Care Fortnight’ in an attempt to boost the number of available foster carers for the sake of the many children that are involved in care proceedings.
Care applications in the UK have even risen by 10.8 per cent, that’s 10,199 new applications between May 2011 and February this year.
It has been reported that more than 24,000 were fostered last year; that’s an increase of 17 per cent compared to 2008. The figure has been rising for five years in a row, which indicates that a suitable foster home now has to be indentified every 22 minutes or vulnerable children will go without suitable housing which is a vital component in a child’s chances of leading a normal life.
The process of adoptions have recently been criticised for being too slow and painstaking. The Queen, Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove and PM David Cameron have all passed judgment on the recent findings and ruled that adoptions should be carried out within a 12 month’s time limit.
Technology such as Electronic Document Transfer can help professionals to dramatically cut down the time spent processing applications for foster carers and adoptions. A surprising amount of paper pushing is involved in identifying appropriate families to care for vulnerable children.
ENDS
For Media Enquiries:
For interview or further information about this topic, please contact Miss. Kathryn Powell, PR Officer for Atkinson Lewis Ltd.
Email: Kathryn@atkinsonlewis.co.uk Telephone:
Twitter: @ElecDocTrans
Address: Atkinson Lewis Ltd., 1st Floor, Unit 1, Ystrad Road, Swansea, SA5 4HJ
