Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:34 pm on 6 October 2020.
First Minister, a report by Barnardo's earlier this year highlighted the crisis that's facing fostering, with a 45 per cent rise in children needing foster care within Wales, and yet, conversely, a 51 per cent drop in the availability of foster carers because of the pandemic. Obviously, we can all appreciate the issues that this has thrown up for being able to find foster carers for young people desperately in need of them. Can you please outline what the Welsh Government is able to do to help to bring more parity back in this situation, to increase the number of foster carers we have, so that these children are able to get the support, within a family environment, that they so desperately need?