What we do

As well as our core activities of campaigning, and providing information, advice, training and other forms of support for our members, the Fostering Network is involved in a variety of projects in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Here are some of the areas we are currently working in:

Working with and for young people looked after

Read about our work with young people in England, Wales, and Scotland.

Our new storytelling project is inviting both foster carers and the young people they care for to attend storytelling events and improve their storytelling and literacy skills.

Recruitment and retention of foster carers

The Attracting and Keeping Carers project works with fostering services to improve their recruitment and retention of foster carers. We distribute a bi-monthly e-newsletter, provide opportunities for fostering services to get together at training courses and seminars, produce useful publications and resources and co-ordinate Foster Care Fortnight, the annual recruitment campaign.

The Fostering Network has received funding from the Children's Workforce Development Council for a foster carer peer mentoring project in England.

For information on our work around recruitment of foster carers in Scotland, contact our Glasgow office.

Support care

Support care is a form of part-time foster care that helps families to stay together, primarily to prevent an initial breakdown when difficulties are mounting.

The Fostering Network has been involved with support care since 1999 and for the last three years has been running support care projects in England and Wales.

Working with our members

Membership Development Project (Foster Care Associations) in England

Fostering Links in Scotland

Fostering Connections in Wales

Fostering Achievement

Launched in 2006, Fostering Achievement is an innovative and practical scheme, to equip and support foster carers in Nothern Ireland, so that they can help those children and young people in their care gain a sense of achievement and realise their potential.

Professional development for foster carers

We provide information and support to encourage development of the skills required to care for a child or young person. This project is currently England only and is based around the new Training, Support and Development Standards for Foster Care and ties in with the Every Child Matters and the new Care Matters white paper.