The number of unaccompanied children arriving in Oxford from overseas has risen.

Social services are looking after 154 children in the city after they arrived alone looking for help.

The Oxford Mail reported in July how foster parents were urgently needed to care for some of the 140 children among asylum seekers in Oxford.

Many are orphans and arrive in Britain after surviving journeys on the backs of lorries.

They often hear by word-of-mouth about good support services in Oxford and hitch-hike.

There are 118 refugee children over age 16 in care in Oxfordshire. A further 36 are under 16. There are 50 in care compared with 32 in July.

Many refugee families have taken children from their own countries, easing pressure to find foster parents specifically for them.

Phil Hodgson, Oxfordshire County Council's children's services director, said: "We really need more people to think about fostering."

An extensive support system exists for foster parents. People who apply to become foster carers are also paid expenses and offered continued support by dedicated social workers.