The county council says the children are in care for many different reasons and wants to provide the kind of support that will help in their adult lives.

Some carers provide short term fostering ranging from a couple of nights to a couple of months.

A county council spokesman said foster carers do not need any qualifications.

The authority has stressed that a full range of on-going training, supervision and support is provided.

However, carers do need a good support network, resilience and an understanding of children's needs.

All foster carers receive an allowance, but there are also paid fostering schemes depending on carers' experience and skills.