A joyful family is outdoors blowing bubbles together. The image includes a promotional graphic for "Foster Care Fortnight" with illustrative designs and the hashtag #FCF26.
Join our free webinar! Acceptance and belonging in fostering – a Foster Care Fortnight special
📅 Thursday, 21 May
🕥 10.30am – 12pm
Find out more and sign up today: https://bit.ly/4tneOtT
An individual is sitting on a sofa using a laptop. The image features text that says, "We’re hiring a Country Director in Scotland!" with The Fostering Network logo.
📢 We’re hiring: Country Director – Scotland 📢
The Fostering Network is looking for an experienced, strategic leader to join our senior leadership team as Country Director for Scotland.
📅 Closing date: Wednesday 6 May 2026
👉 Find out more and apply today:
https://bit.ly/4ciaWEE
Children painting plant pots at a table, with art supplies scattered around. The image promotes "Foster Care Fortnight" with a "This is fostering" slogan and related graphics on the border.
Our Foster Care Fortnight art competition is back! 🎨 🎵 📝
Submit a piece of artwork that represents our #FCF26 theme - This Is Fostering.
Deadline for entries – Friday 1 May 2026.
Find out more, including details about how to enter: https://bit.ly/44viAIl
A graphic from The Fostering Network displays campaign messages for Wales and Scotland. It includes three highlighted points: focusing on care-experienced children and young people, supporting and valuing foster carers for optimal care, and investing in systemic reform to aid children and young people with care experience.
Less than 1 month until the Senedd and Scottish Parliament elections. Our manifesto highlights our campaign priorities to improve the lives of children in foster care. Share with candidates who come to your doorstep to ask what they will do to improve fostering! 📢
🔗 https://bit.ly/4csbkiC
This image shows Lucy dressed in traditional legal attire, standing inside a wood-paneled room. She is wearing a barrister's wig, black robe, and white neck bands. A quote overlaid on the image reads, "My foster dad was the first person who really believed in me. He told me I could be a lawyer."
Lucy Barnes is a barrister who has made it her mission to open up the profession to other care experienced people. She sat down with Foster Care mag to talk about her journey into law and the unwavering belief from her foster dad that helped get her to where she is today. ⚖️
https://bit.ly/3OEcZty
A person is assisting a young individual with their work at a table in a kitchen setting. The image promotes a webinar on "Decision-making in fostering and carer medicals" scheduled for 13 May.
Free member webinar- Decision making in fostering and carer medicals: what the biggest challenges teach us and how best practice can be achieved 💡
📆 13 May 2026, 10.30am – 12pm
Log in to our member portal and sign up today ➡️ https://bit.ly/4tGTTlp
A colorful illustrated poster for Foster Care Fortnight. It shows three people interacting, with one seated in a wheelchair. Above them are various icons representing fostering, such as hearts and speech bubbles. The text includes "Foster Care Fortnight" and "#FCF26." The Fostering Network logo is at the bottom right.
Just over a month to go until Foster Care Fortnight! ⏳
This year we’re encouraging fostering services to show their appreciation by organising a get together for fostering families and we’ve created an activity pack to help you plan. 🎨
https://bit.ly/3NVCrKW
#FCF26 #ThisisFostering
A fan of British currency notes with denominations of £10 is displayed. There is a text overlay in a teal-green box that reads, "We welcome the 3.8% increase to foster carer allowances in Scotland." An icon is shown in a magenta box beside the text.
We welcome the 3.8 per cent increase to Scotland’s Recommended Allowance for foster and kinship carers, in line with inflation.
It’s a positive step toward ensuring allowances reflect the true cost of caring for a child.📈
Read more: https://bit.ly/47Xys7t
We love creating space for our community to share stories, build relationships, and celebrate the life-changing work happening every day. Thank you to everyone involved!
We also heard from Maz, who has supported over 300 children in 45 years of fostering, and is heading to the King’s Garden Party in recognition of her incredible impact 👏
A highlight from our Sheffield Forum? Mockingbird liaison worker and Traitors star Judy joined us and shared how her TV experience has given her a powerful platform to talk about adoption and fostering. Her honesty was a reminder that none of us have it all figured out 💛
Our Mockingbird Spring Forums are in full swing 🌼
Across England, we’re bringing together 400+ Hub Home Carers and Liaison Workers to connect, learn, and explore this season’s theme: Identity & Belonging.
We are delighted that maintaining sibling relationships will be prioritised for children in care, following changes to the law. 🙌
In England alone, 37 per cent of children are separated from their siblings when entering care.
Read more here: https://bit.ly/4m2hdri
#FosterCare #SocialCare
A person sits on a couch using a laptop. The image contains text: "Webinar: Tax and National Insurance for Foster Carers - Live Q&A" with The Fostering Network logo.
Webinar: Tax and National Insurance for Foster Carers – Live Q&A 💬
We've teamed up with Xeinadin, experts in foster carer tax services, to bring you a live FAQ-style drop-in webinar dedicated to the issues that matter most to you.
Date: 12 May 2026 📆
Log in to sign up: https://bit.ly/49zg9GP
A big thank you to everyone who shared their views! 👏
Read our full response, including recommendations to Government, here ⬇️
bit.ly/4dSst7r
The Government will now review submissions, with a response expected in early summer. We’ll continue to engage members as further consultations on fostering standards and guidance take place.
There was also strong support for proposals to improve standards, guidance, and processes around allegations - helping ensure greater transparency, fairness, and support for both foster carers and children.
Following consultation with over 500 members, one message was clear: while the assessment process needs improvement, fostering panels should not be removed. Members emphasised the vital role panels play in safeguarding children through robust decision-making. 💬
The proposal sets out plans for fostering in England, including:
- Remove fostering panels from the foster carer assessment process
- Improving the handling of allegations and standards of care concerns against foster carers
An image of Big Ben on a cloudy day. Text overlaid on to the image says: Thank you to all of our members who shared their views.
Over the past two months, we’ve worked closely with our foster carer and fostering service members to respond to the Department for Education’s action plan, “Renewing Fostering: homes for 10,000 more children.” 🏠
A group of six people are gathered outdoors at night. Some are wearing headlamps, and they are dressed in warm clothing. The text in the image reads, "Congratulations to our amazing Step Up Step Down team!
We’re absolutely delighted to share that our Step Up Step Down programme in Pembrokeshire is a finalist in The Accolades awards!🎉
A huge congratulations to our incredible Step Up Step Down team. We couldn’t be prouder of the impact they continue to make. 👏 🧡
A person with headphones around their neck is focused on a laptop, taking notes. Another person beside them places a supportive hand on their shoulder. There's a text overlay stating, "Care leavers in Scotland to receive a £2,000 to support independence.
The Scottish Government has announced that from April 2026, care leavers will receive £2,000 to support the transition to independence. 💡
This is part of part of the Scottish Government’s work to keep ‘the Promise’ to care experienced young people.
Read more ⬇️
https://tinyurl.com/57e7zy8d
A graphic from The Fostering Network features a yellow box with "Paul Sullivan" and "Director for Scotland" written inside. Below, a blue box contains text with the following quote: “These are life changing amendments for young people in foster care, giving them a right to stay with their foster families and return if they choose to. This recognises the critical importance of consistent, loving relationships. “This bill is a landmark step in Scotland’s journey to keeping the Promise.”
We are delighted to see several of the key changes we campaigned for included in The Promise Bill, which became law last week. 🙌
Read our full statement: https://bit.ly/4875JNf
Three people, dressed in casual clothes, walk hand in hand along a wooded path. A banner at the bottom reads, "Lloyds Banking Group has been awarded our Fostering Friendly accreditation!" The image is in black and white, with colorful shapes partially visible above the text.
We’re delighted to share that Lloyds Banking Group is now officially a Fostering Friendly Employer! 🎉
This accreditation recognises organisations that go the extra mile to support employees who are foster carers. Read the full announcement ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e2WgdDF9
The Fostering Excellence Awards will be back this year! 🏆 🥇
Exclusively for members of The Fostering Network, the awards will recognise the incredible contribution of foster carers, care experienced children and young people, and fostering services.
More information will be released soon! 👀
A group of five people standing side by side on a wooden deck in a sunny outdoor setting. They are dressed in casual, colorful clothing, each with a cheerful expression, with a large brick wall in the background.
We’re delighted to welcome Paul Sullivan as our new Country Director for Scotland 🎉
Paul brings a wealth of leadership experience and a strong track record of delivering meaningful change for children, young people and families.
👉 Read the full announcement here: https://bit.ly/478ADV9
A colorful illustration promoting Foster Care Fortnight by The Fostering Network. Two individuals are standing on a seesaw, with various symbols like a heart and clock surrounding them. A child is seated on the seesaw's pivot point. The phrases "This is fostering" and "#FCF26" are displayed.
We’re delighted to share the resources for Foster Care Fortnight 2026. 🎉 🙌
Find out about this year's theme 'This is Fostering' and everything else you need to know:
https://bit.ly/3NndwQ8
#FCF26 #ThisIsFostering #fostercare #fostercareawareness