UK Think Tank Warns Faith Is Missing Link in Child Welfare System

UK Think Tank Warns Faith Is Missing Link in Child Welfare System
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A new report from the UK think tank Equi warns that faith is a crucial but overlooked element in the nation’s struggling child welfare system. Titled “Faith, Family and the Care System: A Missed Connection?” the report highlights the growing crisis facing children’s social care, with more than 107,000 children currently in care and a shrinking pool of foster carers and adoptive families.

While ethnicity and culture are considered in placement decisions, Equi argues that faith is routinely ignored, with negative impacts on children’s sense of identity and emotional well-being. “Faith isn’t just a belief; for many children it’s central to who they are and how they cope with adversity,” said Prof. Javed Khan, who co-authored the report.

The research draws on polling with Savanta, case studies and interviews, focusing especially on British Muslim communities. Muslim families, the report finds, play an outsized but often invisible role in supporting vulnerable children through informal or kinship care. Despite making up 10% of England’s under-18s, Muslim children account for less than 5% of those in the formal care system.

British Muslims are 66% more likely than the general public to offer informal care or financial support for children at risk of entering care, saving the state an estimated £220 million annually. This reflects a strong tradition of kinship care rooted in Islamic teachings on supporting orphaned children — an asset Equi says is overlooked in national policy.

However, the report notes that Muslim families face significant barriers to formal fostering or adoption. Although they are 63% more likely than others to consider fostering, nearly 60% fear discrimination or bias during assessment. Many point to a lack of faith-sensitive placements and misunderstandings about cultural practices as deterrents.

Equi calls for practical steps, including recording children’s faith background in care records, ensuring placements reflect their religious identity, and expanding partnerships with faith-based charities to recruit and support carers. It also recommends faith-based mentoring and transitional housing to help care leavers reconnect with their communities. The report argues that addressing faith is not ideological but essential for a more inclusive, effective, and resilient care system.