Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to help local authorities recruit foster carers.

In Fostering Better Outcomes (2018), the department encouraged local authorities to consider joint recruitment efforts. To help with this, and to support local authorities to develop evidence-based recruitment approaches, the department is commissioning research on applying behavioural insight approaches to the recruitment of prospective foster carers and adopters.

In addition, the department is funding 7 feasibility studies in commissioning and sufficiency planning, bringing together local authorities with their partners to explore innovative practices, including collaborative approaches to foster care recruitment.