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Why are foster carers leaving the profession?

Since the death of Baby P, Peter Connelly, the number of children being placed into care in the UK has been rising steadily - it's now at 80,000 a year.

The vast majority of these children are placed in foster care.

However, last year nearly 6,000 foster carers left the profession.

The government says it has been able to replace these foster carers, however The Fostering Network - a charity representing foster carers - says that another 8,000 foster carers need to be found in the next 12 months.

So why are some foster carers choosing to leave the sector? Newsnight's James Clayton has spoken to two foster carers who have considered leaving fostering.

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5 minutes

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