Stable Homes, Built on Love

Foster with North East also follows commitments set out in the government's Children's Social Care Implementation Strategy, Stable Homes, Built on Love, published in February 2023*. The Department for Education is providing over £27m this Spending Review to deliver a fostering recruitment and retention programme, so that foster care is available for more children and young people who need it, with a £3.3m investment to back the North East project.

Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing, David Johnston said:"Fostering can be challenging, but it is also hugely rewarding and can help change young lives. Across the country, we need more foster carers from all walks of life to open their hearts and homes to children and young people who have often had a difficult start to life. 

"We're investing £3.3m in this brilliant partnership from local authorities across the North East, who are the first ever region in England to pilot a new support hub to recruit and retain more foster carers.  The pathfinder will also pave the way for wider rollout of the fostering recruitment and retention programme so we can ultimately help ensure more vulnerable children and young people can grow up in stable and loving homes."  

Looking at what would motivate people in the North East to become foster carers, a staggering 64% would be inspired to do so knowing they would change someone's life, nearly half (48%) think it would be incredibly rewarding, and a third (32%) say it would give further purpose to their life.

Newcastle-based foster carer Dan Brown said,"As a young, single, gay, autistic man, I worried there'd be multiple barriers to becoming a foster carer. I was wrong, and none of those things have held me back; in some respects they are even positive attributes. I am now a short-term carer, currently looking after two amazing brothers, aged 9 and 10, and would urge anyone considering fostering, or who might be questioning their suitability, to look into it. Ask the question. Every child deserves a chance to flourish, and sharing your home, time and skills can genuinely shape their future."

For those interested in fostering in the North East find out more by completing an enquiry form.