Care About Food

Food. Not, perhaps, the first thing that springs to mind when you think of how to make children in care feel at home. But according to children themselves, having plenty of good food and knowing that they can help themselves to it are really important ways to help them feel part of a family.

That’s why earlier this year, we joined forces with The Fostering Network and the National Association of Care Catering to start a national conversation about what more can be done to support foster carers to help children in their care eat well now, and to develop the skills they’ll need to eat well once they’re living independently.

There isn’t much research about the nutrition of children in care. Of course, some children enter care after being neglected, and that can include not having enough to eat – leaving that child with unhappy memories of food, a poor relationship with it and all sorts of risks for their health. What carers told us at our roundtable meeting earlier this year that it can be really tough to find advice on supporting these children – together, we want to change that.

More widely, all children in the UK are facing health problems because of their diet: one in five children starts school overweight or obese; most children aren’t eating enough fruit and veg but many are having too much sugar, salt and saturated fat; and having teeth taken out is the most common reason for five-nine year-olds to be admitted to hospital. That’s why we need to make sure everyone caring for a child is getting the help they need on this: parents and carers are the front line of making sure the next generation of children – the parents and workforce of the future – are learning how to eat healthily for life.

If you’re a child or young person in care (or if you have been in the past), a foster carer or if you work in a residential care home, we need your help. We want to hear what you think would help children and young people in care to eat better, and to get them cooking. Check out our report and surveys here and have your say – because this Foster Care Fortnight, we mustn’t forget to #CareAboutFood

To learn more about The Fostering Network's partnership with Children's Food Trust click here.

If you are thinking about fostering, why not start the journey to becoming a foster carer this Foster Care Fortnight by reading more about what it takes here.