- New government research reveals misconceptions may be leading people to rule themselves out of fostering. In the West Midlands, people are slightly more likely to see fostering as similar to ordinary family life than different (38% compared with 37%). Nationally, the pattern is reversed, with 32% seeing fostering as similar to ordinary family life and 41% seeing it as different.
- The campaign aims to challenge misconceptions about who can foster and show how everyday acts of care can make a lasting difference to a child’s life.
- The government is working to create 10,000 new foster care places by 2029, helping more children and young people find the safe, stable and supportive homes they need.
A new Department for Education campaign is calling on more people across the West Midlands to consider fostering by showing people they may already have what it takes to become a foster carer.
By highlighting how everyday acts of care, from helping with homework to sharing a meal, and challenging misconceptions about who can foster, the campaign shows how these moments can help children feel safe, supported and settled, and make a lasting difference to a child’s life.
New government research reveals that many people believe they could be good foster carers. However, misconceptions about who can foster may be leading people to needlessly rule themselves out. Almost three in ten people in the West Midlands (29%) believe previous childcare experience or qualifications are required to become a foster carer.
Two thirds of people (67%) in the West Midlands believe they could be a good foster carer if practical barriers and personal circumstances were not a factor. However, cost or financial concerns were identified as the single biggest practical barrier to becoming a foster carer by 19% of survey respondents.
The campaign aims to reassure people that training, guidance and ongoing support can help them develop the skills and confidence they need to foster and encourages anyone considering fostering to find out more before ruling themselves out.
Busting myths about who can foster
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.
Misconceptions still persist around the type of person who can foster and how fostering can fit into everyday life, with 43% believing fostering is incompatible with working full time and 29% believing previous childcare experience or qualifications are required.
Luke Rodgers BEM, Founder of The Care Leaders, added:
“It’s important that we challenge the stigma that can surround children and young people in care and encourage more people to consider fostering. Many children have experienced uncertainty or instability in their lives, and foster carers play a vital role in helping them feel safe, supported and able to be themselves.
“What makes the biggest difference is often the everyday moments. Whether it’s listening, asking about their day, sharing a meal or spending time together, these experiences help children build trust and create positive memories. Foster carers provide the safety, stability and consistent support that helps children thrive.”
The everyday moments that help children feel settled
The survey also found that people are more likely to see fostering as different from ordinary family life than similar to it. In the West Midlands, people were slightly more likely to see fostering as similar to ordinary family life than different. 38% considered fostering similar to ordinary family life, compared with 37% who described it as different.
But for children and young people in foster care, familiar routines and seemingly ordinary moments can provide important consistency and connection.
More homes for children who need them
Following a 12% decline in approved foster carers from 2021 to 2025, the Department for Education aims to create 10,000 new foster care places by 2029, helping to ensure more children and young people can access the safe and supportive homes they need.
As well as the campaign, this is also supported by further reforms to make fostering more accessible and help it to fit around busy modern lifestyles. This includes a new rulebook for foster carers that humanises the decision-making process, digital tools to speed up recruitment, and funding for innovative and more flexible new approaches to fostering.
Sarah Thomas, Chief Executive Officer, The Fostering Network, said:
“We’re very pleased to see the Department for Education take the lead on a national campaign for fostering to help address the shortage of foster carers across England. Thousands more foster carers are needed to ensure every child can access the right home for their individual needs, so it is vital that we raise awareness of fostering in this way and encourage people to consider whether it could be right for them.
“Foster carers make a real difference through everyday acts of care and support, helping children and young people build trust, confidence and a sense of belonging. The stability that fostering provides can change lives, which is why we have long called for a national campaign of this scale in England, building on similar work that has taken place in Wales and Scotland. This is an important step towards recruiting more foster carers who can provide the stable, loving homes children need to thrive.”
Despite the need, awareness of the scale of fostering need remains low. Nearly six in ten (58%) of people surveyed in the West Midlands did not know roughly how many children were living with foster carers in their region.
The government is encouraging people who may have previously assumed fostering was not for them to learn more about the different circumstances, backgrounds and experiences foster carers can have.
Fostering could be more possible than you think. Before ruling yourself out, find out more. Visit fostering.campaign.gov.uk to learn about fostering and what it could look like where you live and use the postcode checker to find your local fostering service.