“Fostering changes lives,” said Children and Families Minister Josh MacAlister as he set out plans on 30 December to accelerate recruitment early in 2026. For councils across the North, where placements are tight, the pledge cannot come soon enough.

At 31 March 2025 England had 33,435 mainstream fostering households, a 10% fall since 2021. That figure covers local authority and independent agency “mainstream” homes. Counting formal kinship care as well lifts the total to 42,190, underscoring the reliance on family networks alongside mainstream provision.

Ministers argue that without enough foster homes, more children are pushed into residential care, where outcomes are poorer and risks of exploitation can rise. Baroness Casey’s national audit, published in June, warned that children in care are frequently targeted and called for stronger multi‑agency safeguards.

The pressures are not even. Official figures show Blackpool has the highest rate of children looked after at 184 per 10,000, while Richmond upon Thames sits at 27. Regionally, the North East records 111 per 10,000-well above England’s 67-illustrating why northern services report sustained demand.

Supply also skews north. Ofsted reports the North West hosts 26% of England’s children’s homes, yet only 18% of looked‑after children come from the region-driving out‑of‑area placements and extra costs for councils trying to keep children close to school and family.

The Department for Education says the 2026 reforms will widen who can foster, strip out unnecessary barriers for people with full‑time jobs or families of their own, and give existing carers better support to stay. A public consultation is due in early 2026, with detailed measures to follow.

Funding has been trailed alongside policy change. The 2025 Spending Review sets aside £555m from a Transformation Fund over the review period, plus more than £560m from 2026–27 to expand children’s homes and foster placements. Separately, ministers have uprated the Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant to £270m in 2025–26.

Legislation is moving too. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill-sponsored by the DfE-aims to strengthen duties around kinship care and tighten oversight of providers. As of 22 December it remained in the Lords, with further stages expected in the new year.

Northern councils aren’t waiting. Greater Manchester’s combined campaign now fronts a community of nearly 1,500 foster carers and pools recruitment across all ten councils. In the North East, a regional hub is running information events into January to bring more households forward.

Sector leaders warn the costs of not fixing this are spiralling. The Local Government Association reports placements costing £10,000 a week or more rose from about 120 in 2018–19 to around 1,500 in 2022–23, driven by limited supply and increasingly complex needs.

The Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, welcomed the focus on recruitment and reiterated that children in care want what every child wants-loving relationships, a safe home and support that lasts. With reforms due in 2026, the test will be how quickly help reaches carers and children here in the North.

For potential foster carers, ministers point to allowances, training and peer networks, and local teams say assessments can be built around family and working life. If you can offer stability and a spare room, your council is ready to talk.