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? 

Helen Wilmot:
Helen Wilmot (formerly Dunkley) has long experience in children and families and fostering services. She has been a Form F assessor, quality assurance manager, agency decision-maker, independent fostering reviewing officer, and complaints investigator. Since 2017, she has been an established fostering panel Chair, alongside being a Chair for the Independent Review Mechanism. Helen is an associate trainer for CoramBAAF, associate of Foster Talk and Fostering Network, and a social work adjudicator for Social Work England.

Mandeep Sahejpal:
Mandeep Sahejpal has been a social worker in fostering, adoption and children and families services. She has been an assessor for foster carers and prospective adopters, complaints investigator, Chair of fostering and adoption panels, chaired complex reviews, operations manager, quality assurance and safeguarding manager, and supported agencies to prepare for inspections. She is the Chair and panel adviser for the Independent Review Mechanism. She is also a qualified practice educator and an associate trainer for CoramBAAF.