A sharp rise in complaints by children against their foster carers was revealed in the latest government figures.
Children made 1,965 complaints of abuse against their foster carers from 2021 to 2022, a staggering 24 percent increase from last year’s figures (1,585 complaints.)
The increase could be down to children feeling more empowered to talk about their treatment in placements, amid growing public and sector awareness that children’s experiences in care must be heard.
The figures are still likely to be conservative, with fear of being punished by their foster carers for speaking out and being sent back to a care home possible incentives for the 70,000 children currently in foster care to keep their maltreatment hidden.
The overall number of child abuse complaints against foster carers which include complaints made by other sources also rose, with 3,010 allegations made during 2021 and 2022, an increase of 16% from the year before (2,600 allegations).
The majority of complaints (65%) were made by children in foster care. This represented an increase of 4 percent against last year’s complaints submitted by children.
However, there was a sharp decrease in the reported number of incidents of physical restraint during the same period, from 930 to 730, representing a 27 percent drop. The data held that 82 percent of incidents between 2020 and 2021 were reported in the Independent Fostering Agency (IFA) sector, against 71 percent in the same sector between 2021 and 2022.
There is an important explainer added into the data on IFAs and reported incidents which says, “Some of the differences between sectors may be affected by variations in reporting processes between IFAs and Local Authorities (LA), but this data almost certainly includes a large amount of under reporting by LAs over the years.”
As with last year, physical abuse continued to be the most complained about (51 percent) form of maltreatment. Over the same period the number of emotional abuse allegations rose from 19 percent to 24 percent.
While more than half of the allegations resulted in no further action (52 percent), there was a 4 percent increase in the number of cases which were referred to the fostering panel (30%). Complaints deemed ‘valid’ were highest within LAs (34 percent) followed by IFAs (24 percent).
The government does not currently produce annual reports on allegations of abuse against staff and carers in other placements or care home settings in England and Wales as standard practice.
Researching Reform remains deeply concerned that a significant number of placements for children in care continue to be unsafe, and we call on the government to look into the framework supporting these placements.
You can access the data in full here.
Researching Reform 
My children have been abused by there carers kicking them calling them bitches and putting glasses on there faces when they didn’t need them. Another carer hurt my son so much I called an ambulance . The other carer caused my son a hernia . My children still continue to be abuse but are to young to complain. The system it’s a disaster. Alot of carers just do it for the money it’s wrong.
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I’m so sorry Sam x
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It’s not your fault . Ss and L.A hide the abuse and my children will continue to be abused by carers it’s so sad they take thriving happy children from good homes to be abused .
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Xxxx
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Oh my god my children’s foster carer lies all the time and carnt be bother to drive them to contact . He frown my Christmas presents to the ibin . He is a law to himself I brought two children up alone my son now 21 after 12 years I found bad autism/ adhd a if I asked for help ss would say no you cope ok in asked for help from ss I was told I coped ok and then I met , I met a new woman married had two kids together she fretend to burn down the home and killing my children had it all on recordings went to court judge sead foster care all because I had early on set Parkinson’s thay make me travel between a 100 to five hundred miles for contact
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I’m so sorry to hear about what has happened, and thank you for your courage in sharing your experience.
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No one can stop this , solicitors whisper to the corrupt judges there’s more depression caused by these people than any other law a lot of people are on death row and judges continue to just rubber stamp l.a requests
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Sam if the children are are visiblely injured take photographs and show them to the police.
Also it is not widely known that social services are NOT the only people who can ask for an emergency protection order ! Yes you as a parent can ask the judge in any family court for such an order providing that you can prove the abuse is serious enough !
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I have picture contact note and ambulance report from when my son was hurt it was last year since then the SS have stopped my contact and are saying he does not want to see me. They are trying to adopt him and his 3 brothers. I have in paperwork somewhere that the girls were kicked up the bum but ss say this was not known but placement changed and my daughter was forced to wear glasses new carer took her to get eyes checked she don’t need them. The boys carer has put her finger nails in my boys skin I took pictures he also only 2 and fell of a frame as she didn’t have her eyes on him this has caused a scar down his face. The judge and as lied about me so I don’t see how the judge will allow me to have my children they found false findings and UN truths. It’s not fair they snatched my children now abuse them. My 8 year old ran away from skool to me she was taken bk . My eldest has started weeing she 12 . The L.a singed threshold without my barrister knowing so the judge also agreed to the order it’s been a crupt case from the start .
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There doing same to me because foster carer carnt be bothered to drive them to contact ,
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Sam it is no good grumbling about carers and social workers .If injuries are visible go to police and nowhere else.
Otherwise however bad the “SS” and fosterers are it does not mean you are any good as a parent so that is what you have to prove.
Go back to court and represent yourself so you can speak direct to the judge and ask for the care order to be discharged.
You have to show that whatever the reason for taking your children in the first place that no such reason exists now !
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I will do this when the process is over thanks for advise . My barrister and legal rep said not to report anything to police and to let social no.. are you saying it’s best to rep my self . My boys are still on an ico as ss didn’t put placements in order when the girls got fc.
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The police ain’t no better they will not do any think about social service s corrupt courts of puppet solicited
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In 2011, there were 32,739 children involved in disposals of public law cases,
including 31,515 orders made, 792 applications withdrawn, 350 orders of no order
and 72 orders refused. Just over a third of all the public law disposals were for care
and substitute supervision for care orders (11,411).
just 72 out of 32739 refused ! WHY? Because so many of the solicitors and barristers (professional losers?)quietly tell the judge that they agree to the care orders and stop parents from speaking !If parents represent themselves at least they can speak to the judge ,present their evidence,call witnesses,and fight in court to keep their children .
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Could I ask some advise the L.A asked for an application to stop my boys contact because when he went back to the carer he would miss behave but when in contact I never had this issue. My boys remain on an ico but iv had no contact with either 3 of them iv text the iro and ss and my legal rep but I’m getting no answers it’s been over 2 months since I see them. Any advise would be great.
I agree with what u have stated they done this to me and said my barrister didn’t sign the threshold with the concerns regarding me and the judge agreed to ss findings it was all done behind my back and my barrister said none of it was up to me but it was down to the L.A and other party’s.
The system is so wrong .
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Hi Sam, there are some very good Facebook groups run by parents who offer excellent advice. If you’d like the details let me know and I’ll email them to you x
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Yes please .
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