Auto Amazon Links: No products found.
A newly established £12.4 million innovation fund has been introduced with the goal of making foster care in England more adaptable, inclusive, and aligned with contemporary lifestyles. This initiative forms part of the government’s broader commitment to increase the number of foster care placements by 10,000 during the current parliamentary session, responding to the decline in approved fostering households observed in recent years.
The fostering system has traditionally been envisioned narrowly, typically involving a couple with a spare room and one adult available to provide full-time care. However, this approach does not account for the variety of household compositions, work commitments, and support networks present in modern society. The new fund aims to explore ways of supporting fostering that maintain child safety and care quality, while introducing more flexible arrangements. These might include enabling carers to better utilize existing space, creating local support networks among foster families, or developing models such as the Weekenders programme, which offers regular weekend or respite care and fosters long-term relationships with children for those unable to provide full-time care.
One example highlighting the potential impact of more flexible fostering roles is the story of Chanice. Her relationship with Sara, the carer from NOW Foster’s Weekenders initiative, began with ordinary weekend activities and gradually developed into a lasting, meaningful connection. Sara reflects on the experience: “We started with weekends and sleepovers, doing very ordinary things: swimming, bike rides, knitting, crochet, theatre trips, cooking and chatting. Over time, those ordinary weekends became an enduring relationship, still going strong over 12 years later.” This model supports the idea that fostering need not always be full-time but can still offer essential stability and belonging to children in care.
Other innovative approaches supported by the fund include Room Makers, which provides financial assistance to adapt carers’ homes so they can accommodate children or keep sibling groups together. Meanwhile, the Mockingbird model organizes groups of foster families around a central hub home, offering practical and emotional support not typically available to isolated carers. Care-experienced individual Amy Burns emphasizes the importance of such support networks: “You don’t have to be a full-time foster carer to make a difference. A village for someone who is care experienced might look like teachers, neighbours, people from past foster placements. But it has to exist.” While fostering is challenging and demands proper training, respect, financial backing, and professional support, this evolving approach aims to broaden who feels able to foster and provide children with the stable, long-term relationships they need. Children’s minister Josh MacAlister underscored the fund’s purpose, expressing hope that it will help bring fostering “into the 21st century” by opening opportunities to a wider range of carers
Read the full article on Positive News here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.