There's a shortage of foster families across the UK - particularly for older children - which means that we desperately need to find nearly 9,000 new foster families over the next 12 months. And, on average, a child waits two years and seven months to be adopted.
The stakes are high, and the pitfalls great, as let's not forget - when it comes to decisions that affect children, any repercussions will not only be felt today, but potentially also for many years to come.