Media releases

More children will end up in unsuitable homes if thousands more foster families aren’t urgently recruited, according to new figures released by the UK’s leading fostering charity, The Fostering Network.

Across the UK there’s currently a shortage of 6,500 foster families – a figure which comes during Foster Care Fortnight (13 – 26 May), the charity’s annual awareness raising campaign. The numbers lay bare the recruitment crisis currently facing the fostering community as the number of children in care in the UK exceeds 100,000 (100,437) – the highest on record. 

Established in 2014, The Fostering Network’s State of the Nations’ Foster Care survey is the largest and most comprehensive study of the UK's fostering sector, representing the voices, thoughts and opinions of foster carers across the four nations. 

We are delighted that Camden Council has committed to actively listen to the needs of foster carers by increasing their weekly allowances for 2024/25 to meet our recommended rates. 

Our rates cover the full cost of caring for a child and are based on extensive work with expert economic analysts, Pro-Bono Economics. 

The Fostering Network gave oral evidence to the Education Select Committee on Tuesday 16 April based on the extensive written evidence and research we submitted earlier this year. Sarah Thomas, our CEO, who has more than 20 years’ experience in children’s social care and working directly with fostering families, represented The Fostering Network and reflected the experience of our foster carer members. Sarah was part of a panel which included the CEOs of Adoption UK and Kinship.  

Please find attached information on activities we have coming up, including our

There will be some changes to our helpline opening hours over the festive period. However, there will still be support available to our members through our legal and stress support advice lines, which are open twenty-four seven.

Changes to our helpline services

• Our Member Helpline (England) will close at 3.00pm on Friday 22 December and reopen at 10.00am on Tuesday 2 January.

• Fosterline Wales will close at 12.30pm on Friday 22 December and reopen at 9.30am on Tuesday 2 January.

Foster carers in England will receive more money to cover the cost of looking after children and young people after the government announced an uplift to their allowance rates this week. 

From the next financial year there’ll be a 6.88 per cent uplift to the National Minimum Allowance for foster carers in England. The uplift, announced in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ Local Government Finance Policy Statement, has been calculated based on inflation and what is affordable for local government. 

A pioneering programme which has so far prevented 194 children from entering the care system will launch in Wales this week. 

Step Up Step Down, which is run by the UK’s leading fostering charity The Fostering Network, is partnering with Pembrokeshire County Council to revolutionise the support given to families at risk of breaking down. 

Recent figures published by Ofsted show that significantly more foster carers have chosen to leave the role this year compared to the number of new joiners. 

The annual Fostering in England statistics highlight the huge pressures currently facing foster care and the urgent need for new foster carers. Numbers are continuing to decline against a backdrop of record numbers of children in need of fostering families. 

The UK’s leading fostering charity, The Fostering Network, has taken over the operation of Fosterline – a helpline which offers advice to existing and prospective foster carers in England.

As of 1 October 2023 The Fostering Network will run the service, which is commissioned by the Department for Education. The charity was awarded the two-year contract in July, taking over from current operators Foster Talk, who have run Fosterline for the past 10 years.