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  • Mockingbird Programme offers increased capacity, ‘normality’ and good value

    The UK’s leading fostering charity has developed a cost-effective, sustainable model of foster care, with more capacity to care for children and young people than other existing fostering models.

    This was the finding of an evaluation report published today by the Department for Education about The Fostering Network’s award-winning Mockingbird programme.

  • Response to the reports published by the Children's Commissioner for England today

    Responding to the reports published by the Children's Commissioner for England today, Kevin Williams, chief executive of The Fostering Network, said: 'We welcome the reports from the office of the Children's Commissioner for England.

    'The vast majority of children in care in the UK are living with fostering families and it is essential that all children who need a foster family are able to live with one.

  • Christmas gift appeal with corporate partner in Northern Ireland

    For this festive season, Arthur Cox, our corporate partner in Northern Ireland, has come up with something special. The leading law firm will be giving bespoke gifts to children who are taking part in our Step up Step Down programme, where foster carers support families on the periphery of care to help the children remain within their family home.

  • Strategy for children and young people in care in Northern Ireland published

  • Protect children and young people by prioritising foster carer vaccination
    The UK’s foster carers should be prioritised in the roll out of the Covid-19 vaccination programme to be able to keep providing the best possible care for the children that they look after.
     
    With the coronavirus vaccine rollout underway The Fostering Network is urging UK governments to make sure foster carers are near the front of the queue. 
     
    Foster carers are required to meet social workers and other professionals as part of the care they offer to young people.
  • Additional Funding for Foster Carers in Northern Ireland

    Northern Ireland’s Health Minister, Robin Swann, on Friday, announced additional funding of £754,800 for all foster carers and approved kinship carers in Northern Ireland.

    Details of the additional funding was shared in a thank you letter to foster carers from Minister Swann, and equates to an extra 20 per cent of the weekly food and household elements of the allowance foster carers in Northern Ireland receive for each child they care for, for a limited period. 

  • Mockingbird Programme offers increased capacity ‘normality’ and good value

    Independent evaluation of The Fostering Network's Mockingbird Programme found it to be a cost-effective, sustainable model of foster care, with more capacity to care for children and young people than other existing fostering models.

    The independent evaluation report published today by the Department for Education about The Fostering Network’s award-winning Mockingbird programme found the programme to found it to be a cost-effective, sustainable model of foster care, with more capacity to care for children and young people than other existing fostering models.

  • Open letter to Nadhim Zahawi - Make sure foster carers are priority for a vaccine

    The Fostering Network's chief executive, Kevin Williams, has written an open letter to the Westminster Government's minister responsible for the rollout of the Covid 19 vaccine programme in England, Nadhim Zahawi MP, emphasising the importance of prioritised foster carers in England for a jab.

    Foster carers should be a priority for the vaccine because of:

  • New Ofsted report on matching in foster care

    We welcome Ofsted’s latest research on matching in foster care, published today. It finds that good matches are not down to luck and chemistry but are something that can be developed through good practice.

    Stability for looked after children is vital, this is why matching in foster care is so important. When matches do not work, fostering arrangements breakdown which causes instability for the child and, sometimes, results in the foster carer taking a break from fostering or leaving the workforce altogether.

  • Make foster carers vaccine priority to prevent ‘catastrophic impact’ on social care system

    With the coronavirus vaccine rollout underway, The Fostering Network is urging UK governments to issue guidance to local authorities and health services that all foster carers fall within priority group two as an essential part of the social care workforce.