Recruit, Retain, Reflect
Fostering needs a next generation of carers.
Next Generation Carers speaks to people aged 25 and over who have never pictured themselves as foster carers. Delivered across the South West with Fostering South West.
Black Foster Carers Alliance with Fostering South West
15 South West local authorities
September 2026 to August 2028
Lead campaign
Next Generation Carers
A campaign for people aged 25 and over. It makes fostering feel visible and realistic through peer stories, community conversations and honest answers to the questions people are actually asking.
You do not have to fit a stereotype to foster.
In England you can foster from age 21 and there is no upper age limit. Next Generation Carers is targeted, not exclusive. It focuses on adults who assume fostering is something for later.
“I rent.”
You do not need to own your home. Your fostering service looks at stability and suitable space for a child.
“I work full time.”
Work does not rule you out. It depends on the type of fostering and on a child’s needs.
“I am single.”
Single people foster. What matters is your ability to give safe, stable care and the support around you.
“I am not the typical foster carer.”
There is no single foster carer profile. The first step is a conversation, not an application.
Low pressure first steps, led by real voices.
The campaign is digital first and peer to peer. Straightforward information, not a hard sell.
1
See a story that feels familiar
Short films, social content and carer voices show fostering through real lives.
2
Ask the awkward questions
Age, housing, work, relationships and lifestyle, talked through openly.
3
Take a first step
Join an information session, come to a community conversation, or call the Lifeline.
4
Get a warm handover
If you want to go further, we connect you with the fostering team in your local authority.
BFCA Lifeline 0800 001 6230
Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm
Recruit new carers. Support the families we have. Change what needs changing.
Recruit, Retain, Reflect brings community recruitment together with culturally informed family support and service improvement.
Recruit
Reach people where trust already exists.
Community led recruitment built around trusted networks and lived experience.
- Next Generation Carers, the lead campaign for people aged 25 and over
- Voice of the Alliance, our quarterly magazine
- Faith groups, Black owned businesses and community organisations
- Community conversations and information sessions
Retain
Nobody should foster alone.
- Matched Cultural Mentors
- Hair, skin, food, language, faith and community
- Support with racism and identity
- The BFCA Lifeline between mentoring sessions
Reflect
Make culturally aware practice visible.
- Identity aware matching practice
- Training and supervision for the people around a child
- A clear response when racism is reported
- Evidence and review, not statements of intent
One message, delivered in four places.
Next Generation Carers is digital first and peer to peer, focused on the questions people aged 25 and over are actually asking.
Voice of the Alliance is our quarterly magazine, sharing real carers, real placements and practical information.
Feeder networks bring in faith groups, Black owned businesses, professional networks and community organisations.
Community conversations are open sessions where people can ask questions before making any commitment.
Start with a conversation. Decide your next step from there.
Your local authority runs the formal assessment and approval. BFCA provides culturally informed guidance and connection around that journey.
Step one
Get in touch
No commitment. Just a first conversation.
Step two
Warm handover
We connect you with the fostering team in your local authority.
Step three
Home visit
Talk through your household and your questions.
Step four
Assessment
Training, checks and a full assessment.
Step five
Panel and approval
Independent consideration and a recommendation.
Step six
Matched and supported
Cultural mentoring and ongoing BFCA support where relevant.
An honest note about time
The regional average from enquiry to approval is around 230 days. Recruit, Retain, Reflect is built to find the avoidable delays, reduce drop out, and be straight with people about what to expect.
The Cultural Compass Mark shows culture and belonging are built into practice.
The Mark looks at what a fostering service actually has in place: culturally aware matching, support routes, staff learning, supervision, and a clear response when racism is reported.
Participating services will be published as they achieve and retain the Mark.
For fostering services
Specialist cultural support alongside your statutory responsibilities.
BFCA adds targeted recruitment, mentoring, training and identity focused support. Assessment, approval, placement and safeguarding decisions stay with the local authority.
Refer a family for a Cultural Mentor
For a family caring for a child with identified cultural or identity needs. Use the referral form below.
Use the BFCA Lifeline
One culturally aware number for prospective and approved carers: 0800 001 6230, Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm.
Work towards the Cultural Compass Mark
A supported route to evidencing practical systems for culture, identity and belonging.
Bring Next Generation Carers to your area
Focus the campaign where your local recruitment gaps are greatest.
Your local authority keeps
Assessment, approval, panel, placement decisions, supervising social work and safeguarding decisions.
BFCA delivers
Community recruitment, Lifeline support, Cultural Mentoring, BFCA training, the Cultural Compass Mark and community engagement.
What the partnership is working towards.
15
South West local authorities
42
newly approved foster carers over 24 months
140+
children and young people supported or placed
24
months, September 2026 to August 2028
Questions Next Generation Carers often starts with.
It is a targeted recruitment campaign, written to speak to adults who assume fostering is something to think about much later. It is not an eligibility cut off. In England you can foster from age 21 and there is no upper age limit.
Yes. You do not need to own your home. What matters is stability and, in most cases, suitable bedroom space for a child.
Yes. Single people and couples both foster. Assessment focuses on your capacity to provide safe, stable care and on the support around you.
Not automatically. It depends on the type of fostering and on the child’s needs, and your fostering team will explore this with you.
You can ask questions without committing to anything. If you decide you want to explore fostering further, we can arrange a warm introduction to the fostering team in your local authority.
The recruitment work focuses on communities under represented among approved foster carers. Cultural mentoring and identity support can help any family caring for a child with cultural, identity or belonging needs, including transracial placements.
Could fostering be part of your next chapter?
You do not need all the answers. Ask the questions you have now, and decide what you want to do next.
BFCA Lifeline
0800 001 6230
Opening hours
Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm
Professional referrals
Refer a foster family for BFCA support.
Use this short form to request contact about Cultural Mentoring, identity and belonging support, or another part of Recruit, Retain, Reflect.
Safeguarding and privacy
Please do not include sensitive information about a child, detailed case history, medical information or safeguarding allegations here. We can arrange a secure information sharing route where needed.
Prefer to speak? Call 0800 001 6230, Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm.