Foster carer numbers have fallen 12% since 2019. The target is 10,000 new places
What happened
England's first national fostering recruitment campaign was launched at 10 Downing Street on Tuesday 13 October 2026. The Department for Education published the details on 14 October. The target is 10,000 new foster places by the end of this Parliament. The campaign is aimed at a specific group: adults in their thirties and forties who have never seriously considered fostering. The message is that far more kinds of people can foster than most people assume. That focus comes from the department's own polling, which found that 66% of people think they could be good foster carers if practical barriers were removed. The context is a squeeze. The number of approved foster carers has fallen 12% since 2019, while the number of children needing care has risen. Alongside the campaign, the Department for Education is providing £88 million to reform fostering. Of that, £12.4 million goes to a Fostering Innovation Fund, which has selected 11 programmes. These include weekend fostering, respite fostering, parent-and-child fostering, and therapeutic training. Other measures include a new rulebook for foster carers, digital recruitment tools, and the Fostering Action Plan published in February. More than 70% of local authorities now belong to a Fostering Hub, and an Enduring Relationships Programme launched in June. Josh MacAlister, the Children's Minister, described the aim as "cracking fostering open to ordinary people across England". Rachel Cole, Chief Executive of the Black Foster Carers Alliance, said: "Too many Black children in care grow up without anyone around them who reflects who they are." Dame Carol Homden, Chief Executive of Coram, said the charity's research suggests "a substantial pool of people open to becoming foster carers" already exists.
Why this matters
When there are not enough foster carers, the consequences land on children, and they are not abstract. A child may be placed far from their school, so they lose their friends and their teachers at the same time as their home. Brothers and sisters may be separated because no single household has room for them both. Some children end up in residential care when a family home would have suited them better. And placements can break down more often, because the match was made from whatever was available rather than what fitted. A 12% fall in carers since 2019, while demand has gone up, makes all of those outcomes more likely. The 66% polling figure is the interesting part of the government's thinking. It suggests the shortage is not mainly about willingness. Plenty of people would consider it. What stops them is practical: the belief you need a spare room and a mortgage and a stay-at-home parent, or uncertainty about whether you would be eligible at all. Hence the variety in the Fostering Innovation Fund. Weekend fostering and respite fostering are shorter commitments, where a carer looks after a child for a weekend or a short break to support another family. Parent-and-child fostering means hosting a young parent alongside their baby. These are real roles that do not require someone to reshape their entire life, and many people have never heard of them. Ms Cole's point adds another dimension. It is not only about the number of carers but about who they are. A child placed with a family that shares their background and understands their hair, food, faith and language has something that is hard to supply any other way.
What the evidence actually says
A few points of accuracy, because this is a subject where good intentions can outrun the facts. The 10,000 figure is foster places, not foster carers. One household may offer more than one place. So it is not a target to recruit 10,000 individual people. The timeframe is "the end of this Parliament", which is not a fixed calendar date. The release says the number of children needing care has increased, but it gives no total figure for children in care. If you want that number, it comes from the Department for Education's annual statistics, not from this announcement. The 66% polling figure is Department for Education polling. The release does not give the sample size, the dates, or who conducted it. It is also a hypothetical question, and people often overstate what they would do if barriers were removed. That does not make it worthless, but it is a measure of openness, not of intent. The £88 million covers fostering reform broadly. Only the £12.4 million for the Fostering Innovation Fund and its 11 programmes is itemised in the release. Finally, on eligibility, the campaign's core claim is accurate and worth repeating. In England you do not need to own your home, to be married, to be heterosexual, or to be under a certain age. You do normally need a spare bedroom for the child, and you must pass checks including a DBS check and a full assessment. Fostering is also a paid role: carers receive allowances, and many receive fees on top. The notion that it is purely voluntary is a common and off-putting misunderstanding.
Practical advice
**Start with your local council, or with a fostering agency.** Both recruit. The council handles children in your area; independent agencies also place children on councils' behalf. You can speak to either without committing to anything. **Ask about the shorter forms first if a full-time placement feels impossible.** Respite and weekend fostering are genuine roles with real demand, and they are how a lot of people start. **Expect the assessment to take months, and expect it to be thorough.** It involves a social worker visiting your home, references, a medical, DBS checks, and training. It is intrusive by design, because the point is a child's safety. **Know that renting is not a barrier.** Nor is being single, LGBT+, over 60, or working full-time, though you will need to discuss how work and caring fit together. **Understand the money before you decide.** Foster carers receive a weekly allowance for each child, with national minimum rates, and many also receive a fee. There is specific tax relief for foster carers, called qualifying care relief. Ask for the figures in writing. **Talk to people already doing it.** The Fosterline advice service, funded by the Department for Education, gives free independent advice on 0800 040 7675. Local support groups will tell you things no brochure will. **If fostering is not for you, there are smaller ways to help.** Mentoring, supported lodgings for older teenagers, becoming a school governor, or simply being a reliable adult in a young person's life all matter. So does not being the neighbour who treats a fostered child as a curiosity.
What to know
England has launched its first national fostering recruitment campaign, aiming for 10,000 new foster places by the end of this Parliament. It targets adults in their thirties and forties who have not previously considered fostering, after Department for Education polling found 66% of people think they could be good foster carers if practical barriers were removed. The pressure is real: approved foster carers have fallen 12% since 2019 while the number of children needing care has risen. Alongside the campaign sits £88 million for fostering reform, including £12.4 million for a Fostering Innovation Fund backing 11 programmes such as weekend fostering, respite fostering, parent-and-child fostering and therapeutic training. Two things are worth remembering. The target is places, not people, and the release gives no total for children currently in care. And the eligibility myths really are myths: you do not need to own your home, be married or be young, though you will need a spare room, a full assessment and DBS checks. Fostering is paid, and there is a dedicated tax relief for it. If you have ever wondered about it, the first step costs nothing: a phone call to your council or to Fosterline. Sources: Department for Education, "National call to recruit more foster carers launched at Number 10", 14 October 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/national-call-to-recruit-more-foster-carers-launched-at-number-10; Fosterline England, free independent fostering advice, https://www.fosterline.info/; GOV.UK, "Becoming a foster parent in England", https://www.gov.uk/foster-carers This article is for general information and is not legal, financial or social care advice. For advice on your own circumstances, contact your local authority fostering team or Fosterline. It does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional.
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