Recruiting and retaining foster carers

Over recent years, the number of UK foster carers has decreased – but the number of children in care has increased. Clearly, this is an unsustainable situation that risks becoming a real crisis. How can we ensure that there are sufficient foster carers to look after children in care, and also sufficiently varied carers to meet the needs of all waiting children? 

Foster carer recruitment and retention are huge challenges that have attracted much research and reporting, without leading to widespread positive change. But some key best practice has been learned. What forms of recruitment have proved most useful, and what advertising encourages applications? How have some agencies successfully reached a range of diverse applicants? What do carers value most in a fostering service, making them more likely to stay – and what factors may push them to leave? 

This guide explores the current information and research on recruitment and retention, synthesising the results to provide best practice recommendations for agencies. It draws on discussions with social workers, foster carers and care experienced adults to support fostering services in their practice. Incorporating the views of both independent agencies and local authorities gives an overview of current sector policy and innovative projects, what has been found to work and what doesn’t.  

This guide is invaluable for all social workers and managers involved in recruiting foster carers, and formulating related policy and practice. But most importantly, it is a key resource for all fostering social workers, influencing their practice in supervising and supporting carers in the best way to help ensure their retention.  

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