A new national recruitment campaign has been launched by the government to encourage adults to consider fostering, with the goal of creating 10,000 new foster care places by the end of this Parliament. The campaign, described as the first of its kind in England, seeks to highlight that various individuals can foster.
The launch was marked by an event at 10 Downing Street on Tuesday 13 October, attended by foster carers, frontline workers, and individuals with lived experience of care. The campaign will target adults in their 30s and 40s who possess the values and capacity for fostering but may not have considered it.
The Department for Education (DfE) is allocating £88 million to reform fostering, which includes £12.4 million for a fostering innovation fund. This fund will trial new foster care models, such as short-term 'respite fostering' or weekend fostering, to broaden participation. The number of approved foster carers has decreased by 12% since 2019, while the number of children needing care has risen.
Children’s Minister Josh MacAlister stated that fostering offers stability and love for children and is rewarding for carers. He added that the national campaign aims to open fostering to ordinary people across England. This initiative is part of a broader reset of children’s social care, focusing on stable relationships.
The campaign follows the Fostering Action Plan launched in February and the Enduring Relationships Programme in June. Further reforms include a new rulebook for foster carers, digital recruitment tools, and funding for innovative approaches. Over 70% of local authorities are now part of a Fostering Hub.
The government also announced programmes receiving funding through the Fostering Innovation Fund. These 11 programmes focus on areas such as recruiting weekend foster carers, supporting carers through allegations, parent-and-child fostering, therapeutic training, increasing diversity among foster carers, and helping children transition from residential care to foster families.