Fostering: This year, we must search further than ever for the next generation of carers, says Robert Tapsfield

This year is the 60th anniversary of the 1948 Children Act, a landmark in the history of foster care. The law strengthened the role of local authorities in looking after vulnerable children, and removed once and for all the idea of fostering as a charitable act of "rescuing" children from poverty.

Instead, fostering became viewed as the domain of women who had the time and space to look after someone else's children on a largely voluntary basis. These women – often mothers whose own children had started school or "flown the nest" – were given an allowance to cover the expenses of fostering, but did not receive training and were often excluded from key meetings about the needs of fostered children.

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Now, at the start of the 21st century, the pool of women staying at home has shrunk drastically, with many households relying on two incomes. At the same time, the needs of many of the children who come into foster care have increased dramatically, requiring a more skilled approach from those who look after them. The task of fostering has changed almost beyond recognition, and so has the profile of those providing the care. Today's foster carers – women, men, old, young, single, married, cohabiting, gay and straight – are viewed as expert members of the childcare team. They are required to offer individual, skilled care to the children who may have experienced extreme trauma, abuse and neglect in their young lives.

As a result, being a "good parent" is no longer considered enough to make you a good foster carer. Foster carers must have a range of qualities and skills, and should receive ongoing training to help them offer care. They are, for example, required to write reports, handle paperwork, attend and contribute to reviews, liaise with other social, education and health professionals and manage contact with children's families. They are expected to have an understanding of a wide range of complex subjects, including attachment theory, looking after children who have been sexually abused and behaviour management.

In return, foster carers should receive support from their fostering service, and the opportunity to continue their professional development through training and other forms of learning. In addition to receiving an allowance to cover the costs of looking after a fostered child, foster carers are increasingly being given a fee in recognition of their time, skills and experience.

New figures to be published by the Fostering Network will show that fostering services are trying to recruit more than 5,000 fostering households this year alone. Without these new recruits, we will struggle to find the right home for each child; too many fostered children will have to move a long way from their families or be "squeezed in" where there is a spare room, rather than being able to live with a foster family who can meet their particular needs.

A wider pool of foster carers right across the UK is needed to keep these children within their local area wherever possible. The more people who are approved as foster carers, the more likely it is that a good match can be found for a child in terms of location, culture, lifestyle, language and interests. And it is when good matches are made that foster carers are able to make real and lasting differences in children's lives.

This year, the Fostering Network is launching a new nationwide recruitment drive to mark the start of its annual awareness campaign Foster Care Fortnight (12 to 25 May). The recruitment campaign identifies the everyday qualities needed to be a foster carer, and encourages people to recognise these in themselves. These include being a great listener, having a good sense of humour, being optimistic and showing resilience.

Huge strides have been taken over the past 60 years, in terms of training, developing and valuing foster carers as providers of high quality, skilled care for vulnerable children. The challenge now is to attract the next generation of foster carers, who can help to transform the lives of the children they care for; I hope this supplement encourages people to ask themselves if they have the qualities needed to be a foster carer, and if they think they have, to come forward and find out more.

The Fostering Network is the UK's leading charity for all those involved in fostering. The organisation exists to ensure the highest standards of care for fostered children and young people. For more information visit www.fostering.net

Foster Care Fortnight 12-25 May

Foster Care Fortnight, the Fostering Network's annual campaign to raise awareness of fostering and encourage more people to become foster carers, runs from 12 to 25 May. For information on fostering and becoming a foster carer, visit www.couldyoufoster.org.uk