Fosterli’s views on the national fostering campaign

In mid-October, the Department for Education launched England’s first national foster care recruitment campaign.​ This has raised a lot of food for thought, and while we are celebrating the recognition and funding to increase foster carers, we are mindful of the impact it may have on recruitment and retention.

The campaign itself addresses the urgent need for more foster carers, and encourages people who may not have considered it to look into fostering. With the aim of recruiting 10,000 more foster care places by the end of this parliament, the campaign seeks to challenge common misconceptions about fostering eligibility. We welcome this campaign and are very aware of the need for foster carers, given that the number of approved foster carers has fallen by 12% since 2019 (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/national-call-to-recruit-more-foster-carers-launched-at-number-10), whilst the number of children needing foster homes is increasing.

There are various routes into fostering, yet recent Department for Education polls have found that many adults have ruled themselves out before taking the steps to find out more. DfE polling found that 66% of people believe they could be a good foster carer if practical barriers were removed. This suggests people may not foster because of housing, financial, or time constraints. The government must provide resources to reduce these practical barriers so they do not rule out potential foster carers who could provide a loving, safe home for a child. As a result, we were pleased to hear that the DfE pledged £88 million to reform fostering, including trialling new models of foster care such as weekend fostering or ‘respite fostering’, to minimise these practical barriers and open fostering to a wider, more diverse range of people.

To open fostering to a wider cohort, the campaign will target adults in their 30s and 40s who have the values and capacity to foster but may never have considered it. Whilst it is positive that the campaign will challenge the perception that fostering is for people who have raised their own children or reached an empty-nester stage of life, we remain curious about the implications of targeting this age group given that the average age for a first-time mother in the UK is 29; many in their 30s and even 40s will likely have young children of their own. And whilst it can be a very positive experience fostering alongside your own children, it also adds additional barriers and support needs, for example, ensuring that their children feel informed, included and supported in the process. We hope this campaign will address this to ensure potential foster carers feel informed and able to decide to open their homes to foster children.

We worry that the messaging could be interpreted as anyone being able to foster if the practical barriers are removed; however, this is an oversimplification that could minimise the resilience, patience and sacrifice needed - as well as the love. This rose-tinted view may undermine the training, practical elements, and checks required, and it could result in feelings of blame for individuals who are not approved as foster carers or who drop out of the process. We believe that whilst the positives of foster care should be at the forefront, messaging should not ignore the process and challenges that will arise both within the assessment and beyond. Additionally, the focus on 10,000 more foster carers needs to include retention. Supporting foster carers to continue their journey and open their homes to children requires informed training, readily available support, and the removal of practical barriers. We cannot afford to lower our standards, despite our need for more foster carers; instead, we need high-quality assessments, reflective practice and the opportunity to work smarter. We hope this funding has a positive impact, particularly by ensuring that passionate, informed, and well-equipped foster carers are supported from the moment of enquiry through their fostering journey.

The launch of this fostering campaign is a positive step in the right direction. To achieve lasting change, recruitment efforts must be supported by continued investment not just in recruitment, but also in retention; we need wraparound support for foster carers and better-quality assessment processes, focused on meeting the goal of 10,000 with passionate, informed, and valued foster carers. We look forward to seeing its impact on current and new foster carers, and most importantly, the children they are opening their homes to.