# Create 10,000 new foster places this Parliament

> “This is why the government aims to create 10,000 new foster places by the end of this parliament.”
>
> — HM Government; Press release (Department for Education), 14 October 2026

- **Status:** Promised
- **Status ladder:** Promised → In plan → Legislated → Funded → Delivering → Delivered
- **Policy area:** [Social protection](https://ledgergov.uk/promises/area/social-protection)
- **Speaker:** [HM Government](https://ledgergov.uk/actor/hm-government)
- **Made on:** 14 October 2026
- **Where:** Press release (Department for Education)
- **Cost a year:** No costing published
- **Who it affects:** Children in the care system in England, and people who could become foster carers
- **When:** By the end of this Parliament
- **Paid for by:** Not stated when it was announced
- **Quote source:** https://www.gov.uk/government/news/national-call-to-recruit-more-foster-carers-launched-at-number-10 (checked word for word on 16 October 2026; Open Government Licence v3.0)
- **Last updated:** 16 October 2026
- **Card:** https://ledgergov.uk/promise/uk-foster-places-10k-2026

## Where it stands

The release calls this the government's ambition, so the target is not new; it does not say when it was first set. It came with a national campaign to recruit foster carers, launched at 10 Downing Street on 13 October 2026, and says the number of approved foster carers has fallen by 12% since 2019. The release gives no date for the end of this Parliament and no count of places so far, so the card has no deadline. The card moves when the government reports how many new foster places have been created.

## Timeline

- 14 October 2026, Promised: The government says it aims to create 10,000 new foster places by the end of this Parliament, as it launches a national campaign to recruit foster carers

## About the cost

No cost is given for the 10,000 places. The release says the Department for Education is providing £88 million of funding to reform fostering, including £12.4 million for the Fostering Innovation Fund, without saying over what period.

## Sources

- [Department for Education press release, 14 Oct 2026: National call to recruit more foster carers launched at Number 10](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/national-call-to-recruit-more-foster-carers-launched-at-number-10)

## Checks

- Checked automatically by AI Journalist, not yet verified by an editor.
- Checked by AI Journalist (automated) on 16 October 2026.

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