Last week we reported on a UK court ruling against the last Catholic adoption agency. Now we read in This Is London:

About 2,000 more foster carers are desperately needed in London as the number of children in care continues to rise, figures reveal today.

The shortage is particularly severe among those caring for teenagers, with every fostering service in the capital reporting a lack of people willing to take them in.

Nationwide, there is a shortfall of at least 10,000 foster families.

Mayor Boris Johnson called on Londoners to come forward and fill the shortage. He said: "It is an appalling situation, and a sad one, that London's teenagers are missing out on the foster homes they need. Childhood and our teenage years should be about making friends, learning, exploration and discovery, not worrying about our home life.