A new £12.4 million fund aims to make foster care more flexible and inclusive. This initiative seeks to better suit modern life and increase the number of available foster homes.
For Chanice, a young person in care, the "Weekenders" program made a big difference. She spent regular weekends with a carer named Sara. These experiences included theater trips and learning new things. This consistent relationship grew into a lasting bond.
Chanice noted that having a "Weekender" is different from having a parent. It meant having a consistent adult who kept showing up and believed in her. This relationship continued for years, becoming a long-term part of her life.
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Start Your News DetoxThis idea — that children in care need a wider circle of supportive adults — is central to England's new approach to fostering.
Rethinking Foster Care
The government launched the Fostering Innovation Fund to modernize foster care. It aims to make fostering more accessible to more people. This fund is part of a larger goal to create 10,000 new foster care places. This is crucial because the number of approved fostering households has dropped since 2021.
The decline in foster homes isn't due to less caring people. Instead, the system has made it too difficult for many potential carers to step forward. It has also made it hard for some existing carers to continue. The new fund wants to change who feels fostering is possible for them.
Historically, fostering often focused on a narrow image of family life. This usually involved a couple with a spare room and one adult providing traditional care. While this model works for some, it doesn't reflect today's diverse households and work patterns.
The new approach will test ways to make fostering more flexible. It will do this without lowering care standards or weakening safety. This could involve helping carers use their existing space better. It could also mean creating stronger local support networks for foster families. Another idea is developing models for regular weekend or respite care. These models build long-term relationships with children while supporting full-time carers.
Innovative Models in Action
One example is Weekenders, run by NOW Foster. This program allows people to build relationships with children even if full-time fostering isn't possible.
Sara Fernandez, NOW Foster’s chief executive, experienced this model herself. She met Chanice when she was 26 and couldn't foster full-time. They started with weekends and sleepovers, doing everyday activities like swimming and cooking. These ordinary weekends grew into a strong relationship that has lasted over 12 years.
Fernandez explained that the Weekenders model offers a flexible way to support a child. It's like being an aunt, uncle, or godparent. It also gives children another trusted adult in their lives. This experience also helped Fernandez learn more about fostering, leading her to take on other fostering roles later.
These flexible routes aim to strengthen full-time foster care, not replace it. They offer children more trusted adults. They also give potential carers confidence, training, and experience to consider more extensive roles in the future.
Other models address different challenges. Room Makers helps carers adapt their homes to welcome a child or keep siblings together. In Greater Manchester, one carer received a £7,800 grant to reconfigure her home. She will soon be able to care for siblings.
The Mockingbird model creates "constellations" of foster families around a central "hub home." This ensures carers and children have practical help, friendship, and support. Amy Burns, who has experience in care, emphasized the importance of this support. She noted that a "village" of teachers, neighbors, and past carers is vital for children in care.
Children's minister Josh MacAlister stated that this investment will help bring fostering "into the 21st century." It aims to open up fostering to more people and provide stable homes for more children. The success of these reforms will depend on how quickly and carefully they reach children. It will also depend on incorporating the voices of those who have experienced care firsthand.
For Chanice, a weekend was much more than just a weekend. It was the start of a lasting relationship.
