The Fostering Network

The Fostering Network Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from The Fostering Network, Nonprofit Organization, London.

The Fostering Network is the UK’s leading fostering charity and membership organisation, dedicated to empowering, enriching and supporting the relationships at the heart of the fostering community.

Children of Foster Carers’ Week is coming up! 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 🎉👉 From 12–18 October, we’ll be celebrating the birth and adopted ...
23/09/2026

Children of Foster Carers’ Week is coming up! 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 🎉

👉 From 12–18 October, we’ll be celebrating the birth and adopted children of foster carers, recognising the important role they play in their fostering families and sharing their experiences.

We’ve created a set of resources for fostering services to help you get involved, including:

- Social media graphics
- A certificate to recognise their contribution
- A poster with information and support for children and young people

You can also get involved by sharing stories from children of foster carers, setting up a local support group or bringing existing groups together for a celebration event.

Find out more and access the resources at: thefosteringnetwork.org.uk/children-of-foster-carers-week

👉 Last week, we welcomed Siobhian Brown MSP, new Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise to John Lewis & Par...
22/09/2026

👉 Last week, we welcomed Siobhian Brown MSP, new Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise to John Lewis & Partners Edinburgh to meet with foster carers over tea, coffee and pastries.

The Minister spent most of her time speaking with foster carers in small groups hearing directly from them about their experiences, challenges, and what they'd like to see in the future. Key themes included greater recognition and respect for foster carers, financial security, and more support from local authorities.

Many of the foster carers that attended are on our Foster Carer Advisory Board, and are excited to engage further with the Minister throughout this Parliament and were pleased to hear her commitment to keep the Promise and see through the changes made by the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Act 2026.

We look forward to more opportunities to connect foster carers with the Minister and with The Scottish Government officials to encourage open dialogue and inform policy change.

Wild About Learning 🦁 It’s been a busy couple of weeks for our team in Northern Ireland, as foster and kinship carers an...
21/09/2026

Wild About Learning 🦁

It’s been a busy couple of weeks for our team in Northern Ireland, as foster and kinship carers and children got stuck into Wild About Learning.

The first session saw carers explore the benefits of outdoor play and get hands-on with outdoor resources, including learning how to put up tarps and hammocks.

Then, on Saturday 12 September, it was time for the children to join in! 🐛🌳

With support from our Fostering Attainment and Achievement team, children took part in nature games, bark rubbing, minibeast discovery, nature matching, hammock and tarp building, and much more.

It was a packed morning of exploring, learning and having fun outdoors – with plenty of enthusiasm from both the children and the carers supporting them.

A brilliant example of how outdoor experiences can create opportunities for children to learn, connect and have fun. 🙌

19/09/2026

Today is LGBT+ Parents and Carers Day! 🌈

A day to celebrate parents and carers from the LGBT+ community, raise awareness of their experiences and recognise that every family deserves to be seen, supported and celebrated.

Our amazing Head of Step Up Step Down, Jade Irwin, has shared her own experience as a parent and why she’s so passionate about visibility and representation for LGBT+ families.

Thank you for sharing your story, Jade! 💕

Some children in foster care are losing their free school meals. 📢 Findings from our survey show that 51% of 713 foster ...
18/09/2026

Some children in foster care are losing their free school meals. 📢

Findings from our survey show that 51% of 713 foster carers in England expect children in their care to lose their free school meal entitlement following changes introduced this month.

That’s why we’ve joined with TACT Fostering to write to Education Secretary Lucy Powell MP, supported by the National Association of Fostering Providers, Coram BAAF and the The British Association of Social Workers. ✉️

Our joint letter calls on the Government to ensure all children in care receive free school meals automatically, regardless of their foster carer’s financial circumstances.

Free school meals provide nutrition, routine and stability. They should never depend on a foster carer’s income.

Children in care deserve better. Have the children in your care been impacted by these changes? Let us know in the comments.

Read the coverage in Children & Young People Now: https://bit.ly/4xAsfbp

Looking to build your skills this October? 📚 We have three training courses coming up, open to both members and non-memb...
17/09/2026

Looking to build your skills this October? 📚

We have three training courses coming up, open to both members and non-members of The Fostering Network:

• Understanding Protective Care and best Practice for managing allegations in fostering – 8 October: https://bit.ly/4wwZ8Ga

• Supervising Social Worker Skills: Protective Care, the fostering household and the child’s voice – 12 October: https://bit.ly/4AjyIKc

• The Skills to Foster – 16 October: https://bit.ly/4ja1W8d

If you’re a foster carer and would like to book a spot on the Protective Care course, you can talk to your fostering service about funding your place.

Find out more and book your place via the links! 🔗

16/09/2026

Our brilliant Fostering Wellbeing Project Manager, Joey, is taking on something incredible! 👏

Next spring, he’ll be running the Brighton Marathon to raise money for The Fostering Network. 🏃

Over the past 18 months, Joey has been on an amazing health and fitness journey. He’s now combining his newfound love of running with his passion for foster care – as a foster carer himself – to raise money and inspire others to get involved.

And he’s documenting his journey along the way! 🎥

Follow along for a dose of running inspiration and ideas for how you could kick-start your own fundraising challenge: https://bit.ly/3UK0rUp

Check out Joey's fundraising page here: https://bit.ly/4ir0Nce

We're delighted to be involved in the launch of Our Pact in Northern Ireland – a commitment to ensuring children, young ...
11/09/2026

We're delighted to be involved in the launch of Our Pact in Northern Ireland – a commitment to ensuring children, young people, parents and carers are respected and involved in decisions about their lives.

Brilliant young people from our Step Up Step Down, Fostering Kinship Support, and Fostering Attainment and Achievement programmes worked alongside children and young people from Barnardo’s NI to create every element of Our Pact – from the themes, graphics and logo to the music, script and video. 👏

It was fantastic to see such wide-ranging support for Our Pact at the launch, including from Health Minister Robbie Butler.

Our Pact is for everyone in the team around children and young people, with the hope that these resources will help lead to better outcomes by listening to what children and young people are telling us about what works for them. 🗣️

Find out more: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/our-pact

People with care experience remain underrepresented in further and higher education, and many aren’t aware of the suppor...
10/09/2026

People with care experience remain underrepresented in further and higher education, and many aren’t aware of the support available to them. 📚

That’s why our campaign returns from Monday 23 – Sunday 29 November, at the end of Care Leavers’ Month.

Ticking the box on college and UCAS applications lets young people with care experience tell providers they have spent time in care, helping them access the support they need to enter and thrive in further or higher education. ✅

Throughout the week, we’ll share information about available support, stories from people who have ticked the box and how it helped them, plus advice for foster carers supporting young people through the application process.

Foster carers: Do you know a care experienced young person who would like to share their experience of college or university? Or would you like to share how you supported your young person? Get in touch at [email protected].

We'll also be sharing social media graphics for foster carers, fostering services and the wider community to post on their social media channels throughout the week.

Find out more about Tick the Box: https://bit.ly/47pK2Ix

Our Wales Youth Advisory Board recently returned to Elan Valley for their annual summer residential – and what a few day...
09/09/2026

Our Wales Youth Advisory Board recently returned to Elan Valley for their annual summer residential – and what a few days it was! 🌳

The group celebrated their amazing Foster Our Better Lives campaign, reflecting on the “epic” launch event and the impact their animation has had across the fostering sector.

There was also plenty of fun, with a politics workshop, crafts, board games, a scavenger hunt and kayaking on Caban Coch Reservoir. Two young people bravely faced their fears while kayaking – and we couldn’t be prouder!

The group also enjoyed walks, exploring the local dam and making friends with their temporary sheep neighbours 🐑.

The residential ended with the young people looking ahead to their next priorities and sharing their highlights and ideas for future residentials.

A huge well done to our Wales Youth Advisory Board! 🌟

Address

London

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+442076206400

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Fostering Network posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share