A decline in available fostering places has led to local councils wasting substantial amounts of money, warns a carers' organisation. Capacity issues can force councils to place children in more costly residential homes, according to sector bodies, but the Government claims to be investing £27 million to improve fostering place availability. Official Ofsted statistics indicate that there were 72,770 approved mainstream fostering places in England as of 31 March, 8% less than on the same date in 2019. The decline is primarily due to an 11% reduction in the number of mainstream local authority households, down to 19,835. Meanwhile, the number of independent fostering agency households has risen by less than 1%, and 'family and friends' households have increased from 6,930 to 8,400. Foster Support CEO Jane Collins emphasised the importance of retaining foster carers, both for financial reasons and to maintain their experience and training. However, she noted that local authorities are struggling in this regard.