England wants 10,000 new foster places: who can apply and what carers are paid

On 13 October the government launched the first national foster carer recruitment campaign ever run in England: a target of 10,000 new foster places by the end of this Parliament, with £88 million behind the reform. Here is who it is aimed at, what foster carers are paid each week, and how much of that money HMRC leaves alone.

What did the government announce on 13 October?

The Department for Education launched a national advertising campaign designed to make adults at least consider fostering. The launch was marked by an event at 10 Downing Street on Tuesday 13 October bringing together serving foster carers, frontline workers and people with lived experience of care. It targets adults in their 30s and 40s who have the values and capacity to foster but have never seriously thought about it.

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The reason is blunt: approved foster carers are down 12% since 2019, while the number of children needing care has risen. DfE polling found two thirds of people (66%) believe they could be a good foster carer if practical barriers were removed.

Of the £88 million, £12.4 million goes to the fostering innovation fund, paying for 11 programmes testing new shapes of foster care: weekend fostering, respite fostering, parent-and-child arrangements, therapeutic training, support for carers facing allegations, and moving children out of residential care into families.

Who can become a foster carer in England?

The legal bar is short: you must have the right to work in the UK and be able to take care of a child or young person. You must be at least 18, although most services will want you to be 21 or over. You do not need to own your home — renting is fine — but you will usually need a spare bedroom.

You may be able to work and foster at the same time; it depends on the child's circumstances and the service. You can apply through your local council, through a regional recruitment hub where councils recruit jointly, or through an independent fostering agency. These rules are for England: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have separate guidance.

How much are foster carers paid?

Every foster carer receives a foster care allowance to cover the cost of caring for a child. The minimum is usually between £176 and £309 a week. What you get depends on where you live, which service you use, the child's age and needs, and your own skills and experience. Benefits are affected: if you claim anything, you must tell the organisation that pays you that you are also receiving the allowance.

Do you pay tax on fostering payments?

You register as self-employed and file a tax return, but you get qualifying care relief. GOV.UK puts it plainly: you can earn £20,440 from fostering before you pay tax.

HMRC's HS236 helpsheet for 2026 sets out how the qualifying amount is built: a fixed £19,690 per household for a full year, plus a weekly amount for each child — £415 for a child under 11, £495 for a child aged 11 or over. Two carers in one household share the fixed amount, and a part-year carer gets it pro-rated by days.

If your payments come to less than the qualifying amount, HMRC treats you as making neither profit nor loss: no Income Tax and no Class 4 National Insurance on that income. You still file a return and claim the relief on the self-employment (short) pages, and you cannot also claim expenses or capital allowances. Carers receiving qualifying care receipts are exempt from Making Tax Digital for Income Tax in 2026 to 2027.

What types of foster care are there?

More than most people assume, and the application process is similar for all. Long term, until the child is an adult. Short term, up to two years while plans are made. Family and friends, or kinship care, where the child is someone you already know. Emergency, a few nights at under 24 hours' notice. Respite and short breaks, covering while parents or other carers take time out. Remand, for young people awaiting trial, which needs specialist training. Parent and child, where you host a parent and their baby. Fostering for adoption, open to approved adopters, which carries adoption pay and leave from the day the child moves in. And specialist therapeutic care for complex needs.

How do you apply, and how long does the assessment take?

Before you can foster you must pass a social worker's assessment, in two stages that may run separately or together. Stage one is practical: your property and pets, relationship history, general health (a medical statement, usually from your GP), who else lives with you, and at least two referees for every adult in the household. Stage two is personal: character, religious beliefs, ethnicity and cultural background, languages, whether you could care for a child of a different religion or culture, employment history and experience with children.

The service must give you the result and, if you are turned down, the reasons — and you can appeal. Once approved you go on the list of available carers and are sent profiles of children the service thinks would fit. Sometimes you meet the child first, though not in an emergency placement. A carer can end a placement on 28 days' notice.

Free advice: Fosterline, 0800 040 7675, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm except bank holidays.