Charities criticise foster care exclusion from free childcare policy

Foster carers, who are often struggling to make ends meet, should be given as much help as possible, charities say

The exclusion of fostered children from the additional 15 hours of free childcare a week available to parents in England is discriminatory and inexplicable, charities have said.

The government’s flagship childcare policy, which takes the potential number of free hours for parents of three- and four-year-olds up to 30 in total, was introduced in September but contained a specific exclusion “if the child is your foster child”.