Vision statement four: Where living with their family is not possible, children must stay with their brothers and sisters where safe to do so and belong to a loving home, staying there for as long as needed.
The proportion of brothers and sisters staying together in the ‘care system’ increases.
Number and proportion of new foster care households approved for family groups of 2 children, and 3 or more children
| Year | Number | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | (family group of 2 children): 64 (family group of 3 or more children): <5 | (family group of 2 children): 39% (family group of 3 or more children): <1% |
| 2023 | (family group of 2 children): 60 (family group of 3 or more children): <5 | (family group of 2 children): 30% (family group of 3 or more children): <1% |
| 2022 | (family group of 2 children): 87 (family group of 3 or more children): <5 | (family group of 2 children): 37% (family group of 3 or more children): <1% |
| 2021 | (family group of 2 children): 95 (family group of 3 or more children): <5 | (family group of 2 children): 35% (family group of 3 or more children): <1% |
| 2020 | (family group of 2 children): 64 (family group of 3 or more children): <5 | (family group of 2 children): 36% (family group of 3 or more children): <1% |
| 2019 | (family group of 2 children): 75 (family group of 3 or more children): <5 | (family group of 2 children): 29 (family group of 3 or more children): <1% |
Notes
Reporting period: 1 January 2024 - 31 December 2024
Last updated: October 2025
Next Update due: October 2026
Expanded Content
There were 64 new households approved to accommodate family groups of 2 children in 2024, 15% fewer than in 2019 (75). This was however a higher proportion of all approved households in 2024 (39%) than in 2019 (29%).Each year since 2019, there have been fewer than 5 new households approved to accommodate family groups of 3 or more children, less than 1% of the total.