Is this really the bold foster care reform England needs, or just another sticking plaster on a system in freefall?

Children’s Minister Josh MacAlister has promised “major changes,” backed by “tens of millions” of pounds and an ambition to recruit 400 new foster households between 2026 and 2028.

As the CEO of Diagrama Foundation and as someone who sees the reality of the fostering crisis every day I welcome any step that recognises the urgency of this moment.

But we must also confront the uncomfortable truth: this level of investment will not deliver the transformation vulnerable children desperately need.

A Crisis Too Large for Half Measures

England is short of around 6,500 foster families. In that context, recruiting 400 households over two years is not bold reform. It is running to stand still.

Foster carers are leaving the profession faster than we can replace them. They are burnt out.

They feel undervalued. Too often, they navigate trauma with too little training, too little support, and too little financial recognition.

Unless we address these fundamental issues, we will simply continue rearranging pieces on a collapsing board.

Children Are Paying the Price

Since 2021, we have seen a 10% drop in approved foster households, while the number of children entering care continues to grow. The consequences for children are profound:

• siblings separated

• children moved far from their communities

• older children placed in accommodation that offers shelter, but not care

These are not just operational failures. They are moral failures.

Promising Initiatives — but Not a Strategy

The government’s support for regional recruitment hubs and the expansion of the Mockingbird model, which has been shown to reduce carer deregistration by 82% is encouraging. But isolated programmes cannot compensate for the absence of a national fostering strategy.

We need a long-term, joined-up plan that treats foster care as the critical national infrastructure it is. Children’s lives should not depend on the postcode lottery of local authority budgets, nor should public money intended for children be diverted toward profit extraction rather than frontline care.

Where the Money Goes Matters

Without strong safeguards, the newly announced funding risks being absorbed by overstretched local authorities or large for-profit providers whose business models depend on high fees, not high-quality care.

Ethical, community-based, not-for-profit providers like Diagrama need investment that allows us to recruit, support and retain carers, not compete with profit-driven organisations with far deeper pockets.

What Real Reform Requires

If the government is serious about transformation, we must commit to:

• A national fostering strategy focused on recruitment, retention and stability

• Fair, consistent pay and strong support for foster carers including trauma-informed and mental-health training

• Universal care standards, so that every child receives care, not just accommodation

• Funding that prioritises ethical and not-for-profit providers, rooted in their communities

Anything less will simply paper over cracks in a system that is already failing too many children.

We Stand Ready to Help Build the Future

At Diagrama, we continue to recruit, train and support carers who can offer the safe, loving and stable homes that every child deserves. But we cannot do it alone and we should not have to.

Children do not need temporary relief. They need lasting change. They need a system designed around their wellbeing, not the limits of short-term budgets.

We stand ready to work with government, local authorities and partners across the sector to build exactly that. Because a child who needs a foster family is not a statistic or a budget line.

They are a life and a future worth investing in.

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David McGuire is the CEO of the Diagrama Foundation

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