Foster care is a safety net for children who, for whatever reason, cannot live with their family; a last-resort option to protect and support young people with difficult home lives. However, increasingly, carers and young people in the system are becoming investment opportunities for private equity firms to make serious money.
A whistleblower has spoken to The Big Issue about the impact on vulnerable young people of the growing privatisation of the care sector. Speaking on condition of anonymity, ‘Andrew’ told us that, during his time working at a number of Independent Fostering Agencies (IFAs), he was alarmed by their business model approach, with carers seen as profit generators and staff incentivised to get more children into care. Foster carers were referred
