A new report highlights the vital role British Muslim families play in providing a protective barrier to prevent family breakdown through a strong culture of kinship and community-based care, saving the state an estimated £223 million each year.

Published by the research group Equi, the report titled ‘Faith, Family and the Care System: A Missed Connection?’ reveals that British Muslims are significantly more likely than the general population to care for children within their own families.

Nearly 70% of Muslims in Britain feel a strong personal responsibility to look after children in need among their immediate and extended family—compared to just 55% of the wider public.

This means over 5,500 British Muslim children (according to 2021 Census data) live in kinship care households, preventing children from entering the care system and saving the UK government at least £223m annually.

The report says British Muslims exhibit strong family values that help keep children out of the care system.

Although Muslim children make up around 10% of under-18s in England, they represent less than 5% of those in the care system. It points to this as evidence of strong family ties yet also warns that public services often fail to recognise or support these faith-driven efforts.

Drawing on landmark new polling in collaboration with Savanta, as well as interviews and case studies from across the nation, the report also concludes that while ethnicity and culture are often considered in placement decisions, faith remains systemically ignored with damaging consequences for children, carers, and long-term social cohesion.

“Faith isn’t just a personal belief for many children, it’s a source of identity, resilience and stability. Our care system needs to reflect that,” said Professor Javed Khan OBE.

An overlooked community

Despite widespread interest among British Muslims to foster, many feel deterred. The report finds that Muslims are over 60% more likely than others to consider fostering, but nearly as many express concern about bias and discrimination during the process.

Many who do engage report being met with cultural misunderstandings and a lack of placements where faith is properly respected—making it harder to provide the supportive environment children need.

The challenges don’t end there. Young people from faith backgrounds who leave the care system often find themselves isolated and disconnected from both the care system and their wider communities.

The report calls for investment in mentoring schemes and housing that take faith into account as a stabilising force during this transition to adulthood.

What needs to change

The report sets out several recommendations to help make the system more just and inclusive. It wants the government to:

·        Record faith heritage in care records alongside ethnicity.

·        Include consideration of faith in placement decisions to ensure children’s identities are respected and supported.

·        Embed faith literacy training in social worker education.

·        Partner with faith-based charities to recruit and support more carers.

·        Invest in faith-sensitive transitional housing (gap homes) and mentoring for care leavers.

“This report isn’t just about British Muslims – it’s about the 40% of children for whom faith is part of who they are,” said Professor Khan.

“It’s not about bringing faith into policymaking in an ideological sense. But, rather, it’s a wakeup call that ignoring faith ignores peoples lived realities, it harms vulnerable children’s sense of belonging and increases instability in care placements. The system must become more inclusive, fair and ultimately more effective.”