Foster4 attends No.10 Downing Street to launch national fostering campaign!

On Tuesday 13th October 2026, Foster4 were proud to attend a special fostering celebration event at No.10 Downing Street.

The event brought together foster carers, fostering organisations and well-known public figures with personal connections to fostering, to launch a new Department for Education campaign which calls on more people across Cheshire and Merseyside to consider fostering. By showing people they may already have what it takes to become a foster carer, the campaign aims to create 10,000 more foster places across England by 2029.

During the event, Lucy Powell, Education Secretary and Children’s Minister, Josh MacAlister both spoke passionately about the importance of foster carers and the need for more people to consider fostering. Their speeches recognised the dedication of foster families across the country and highlighted the vital role they play in providing safe, stable and nurturing homes for children and young people.

Official figures show the number of foster carers fell from 63,890 in 2021 to 56,345 in March 2025 – a 12% drop. Yet the number of looked after children has risen by nearly 20% over the past decade.

New government research reveals misconceptions still persist around the type of person who can foster and how fostering can fit into everyday life. Around one in five mistakenly believe foster carers must earn above a certain income (22%), own their home (20%) or be married or in a long-term relationship (18%). 43% believe fostering is incompatible with working full time and three in ten (30%) believe previous childcare experience or qualifications are required.