TACT welcome Government Plans for 10,000 New Foster Carers

Thousands more children in the social care system in England will grow up in loving and supportive homes, under government plans to recruit up to 10,000 new foster carers this parliament, giving more children the best possible start in life and opening up opportunity for every young person regardless of their background.  

A major recruitment drive, proposed by Government today, will tackle the critical shortage of foster carers in England, where approved carer numbers have fallen sharply, while the number of children in care has risen.  

This shortage means too many children are placed far from home or end up in residential care, where they often face struggles in school, health difficulties and even exploitation or exposure to criminal activity.  

The plans will be backed by £88 million of funding to support foster carers and the network of frontline services that support them. It also means better support for existing foster carers, including clarity on the help available, assistance with home improvements, and access to peer support and advice through regional fostering hubs. 

Chief Executive, Andy Elvin, said: “We welcome this news from Government today and are pleased that children, young people, and their foster families are at the centre of these proposals. Safely speeding up carer recruitment by removing unnecessary processes, improving retention by allowing decisions to be made in the foster home and overhauling the allegations process will all have a positive impact on children’s outcomes and foster carer numbers.

“The strong message from the Children’s Minister, Josh MacAlister, that all local authorities (LA’s) must merge their fostering and care services into Regional Care Co-ops (RCC’s) is equally welcome. The current system, where 152 LA’s are doing this separately, has not delivered a system that meets the needs of our children and young people. RCC’s will have the size and reach to fundamentally change the care system and it’s vital that Council leaders ensure their LAs are enthusiastically progressing this agenda.

“Standalone RCC’s, set up as social enterprises owned by their constituent LA’s and working in partnership with likeminded independent fostering agencies can be the vehicle that delivers the extra foster homes we need.”

As the UK’s largest fostering agency, TACT already have initiatives and plans in place to allow more children and young people access to high quality, stable care, and that foster carers get the support they need. These include:

• A new grant giving scheme, Making Spaces, which provides existing TACT foster carers with financial support to create extra space in their homes to continue fostering.
• The recent acquisition of Foster Carer Values in North Wales, ensuring a bright not-for-profit future for the agency as Welsh Government moves towards removing profit-making from foster care by 2027.
• The launch of an innovative Step Forward Fostering scheme to provide more foster families for children currently in residential care, using a proactive recruitment approach that targets skilled career‑changers and offers the specialist training, wraparound support, and financially sustainable fees that make fostering a viable new path for many more people.

Andy added: “We look forward to working with the Department for Education and the emerging RCC’s, to deliver this ambitious agenda.”