Fostering percentages and ratios of looked after children vary quite widely across England and Wales. In this article Sue Richards attempts to identify some of the factors associated with these variations, and to suggest some practical steps which may help in implementing changes. A second and more discursive article, reviewing the literature on purchaser/provider splits and highlighting problems with the model in relation to child care, will be published in the next edition of Adoption & Fostering (January 1999).
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