Report Highlights Overlooked Role of Faith in UK Child Welfare

A new report from leading think tank Equi warns that faith is a critical factor in child welfare that is often ignored in the UK’s care system. As over 107,000 children are currently in care and the number of foster carers and adopters declines sharply, the report emphasizes the importance of faith in supporting vulnerable children’s emotional stability and sense of identity.

Titled “Faith, Family and the Care System: A Missed Connection,” the publication argues that while ethnicity and culture are considered in care decisions, faith remains largely neglected, with potentially damaging consequences for children’s well-being.

Based on polling conducted with Savanta, along with interviews and case studies from across the UK, the report calls for urgent reform to make the child welfare system more faith-aware and culturally sensitive.

“Faith is not just a personal belief for many children; it can be a vital source of identity, resilience, and stability. Our care system needs to recognize that,” said Professor Javed Khan, a leading advocate behind the report.

The research highlights the significant role of faith within British Muslim communities. It shows that faith can help prevent family breakdowns and foster strong networks of informal and kinship-based care. Despite Muslims representing 10 percent of children under 18 in England, they account for less than 5 percent of children in care, a disparity the report attributes to both community-led care initiatives and challenges Muslim families face when engaging with formal care systems.

According to the findings, Muslim families are 66 percent more likely than the general public to provide informal care or financial support to children at risk. Currently, more than 5,500 Muslim heritage children are in formal kinship care, with thousands more supported informally. This kinship care, rooted in Islamic teachings about caring for orphaned children, is estimated to save the UK government over 220 million pounds each year.

The report concludes that the strong culture of kinship care within Muslim communities is a valuable, yet underappreciated, asset that could inform broader reforms within the national care framework.