Government launches England's first national foster carer recruitment drive

The Department for Education has launched what it describes as the first nationally coordinated foster carer recruitment campaign for England. It was unveiled at 10 Downing Street on 13 October 2026, at an event attended by foster carers, frontline staff and care-experienced people, and is being promoted through a dedicated government campaign website.

According to the DfE, the campaign is aimed mainly at adults in their 30s and 40s who have never seriously considered fostering. The department cites its own polling suggesting that around two thirds of people think they could foster if practical barriers were removed, and says approved foster carer numbers have fallen by 12 per cent while the number of children needing care has risen. The Fostering Network puts the decline at 63,890 carers in 2021 to 56,345 in 2025.

The campaign forms part of the reforms announced in February 2026, when the Children's Minister, Josh MacAlister, set out £88 million over two years and a target of 10,000 additional foster places by the end of this Parliament. The DfE says more than 70 per cent of councils are now part of a fostering hub, and its £12.4 million innovation fund is backing 11 programmes, including weekend fostering, parent-and-child placements and support for carers facing allegations.

The Fostering Network welcomed the campaign, which it said it had long called for, but its chief executive, Sarah Thomas, said recruitment alone is not enough and government must put equal effort into keeping existing carers and tackling the reasons they leave. Wales and Scotland have already run national campaigns, the charity noted.

What this means for you: councils in England are aligning local recruitment messages with the national campaign, and enquiries are increasingly routed through regional hubs rather than individual councils. Existing carers may see weekend and short-break roles piloted in their area. The announcement does not itself change allowances, tax relief or approval rules.