National campaign launched to recruit foster carers

The government has launched a national recruitment campaign to encourage adults to consider fostering.

It will target adults in their 30s and 40s and supports the government’s ambition to create 10,000 new foster care places by the end of this Parliament.

The Department for Education is providing £88m to reform fostering, including £12.4m for an innovation fund, which will trial new models of foster care, such as short term ‘respite fostering’ or fostering at weekends, to open it up to a wider range of people.

Data from LaingBuisson shows in 2024, 56,390 foster placements were recorded in England, and 68,306 across the UK. This equates to 68% of looked after children volumes in England, and over 63% across in the UK by placement setting. The 68,306 looked after children in foster care placements as at March 2024 marked an ongoing decline from a high of 69,348 that was recorded in 2021.

‘Fostering changes lives, not just for the children who finally get the stability and love every child deserves, but for the carers themselves, who tell us it’s one of the most rewarding things they’ve ever done,’ said children’s minister Josh MacAlister. ‘Right now, thousands of children need that chance, and that’s exactly what our national campaign is about: cracking fostering open to ordinary people across England who have the values, the commitment, and the love to foster.’

The campaign follows the launches of the fostering action plan in February and the enduring relationships programme in June. It is supported by further reforms, including a new rulebook for foster carers, digital tools to speed up recruitment, and funding for innovative and more flexible approaches to fostering. Over 70% of local authorities are now part of a fostering hub.

Also, the government has announced programmes receiving funding through the fostering innovation fund, designed to test more flexible approaches to delivering foster care. The 11 programmes include ones that are focused on recruiting weekend foster carers, supporting carers through allegations, parent-and-child fostering, therapeutic training, increasing diversity among foster carers and helping children move from residential care into foster families.

The Fostering Network welcomed the campaign. Sarah Thomas, its chief executive officer, said: ‘The stability that fostering provides can change lives, which is why we have long called for a national campaign of this scale in England, building on similar work that has taken place in Wales and Scotland. This is an important step towards recruiting more foster carers who can provide the stable, loving homes children need to thrive.

‘Alongside this, it is crucial that the government also puts as much focus into supporting existing foster carers and encouraging retention. Too many foster carers continue to leave. Addressing the reasons for this is essential if more children are to benefit from stable loving foster homes.’