Foster carers should not need worker status to get support and protection | Andy Elvin

Foster parents open their hearts and homes to some of the most vulnerable children. Employment contracts would threaten this precious relationship

A survey of more than 500 foster carers for the charity Tact, to be published in the new year, found that 95% saw fostering as a vocation and a lifestyle choice, not a career or a job.

I chair the Fairer Fostering Partnership. All of our members, who are charities or not-for-profit organisations, have clear values and a family-based approach to fostering. None of our agencies take dividends or profits – and all income is reinvested in our foster families, unlike some of the large independent agencies, which pay dividends running into millions of pounds every year to directors and investors.

Related: The foster care system faces a looming crisis | Martin Barrow

Related: Why are we so down on our care system? Foster parents gave me a happy home | Amy-Jo Mook

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from Children | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2jwBl5Y