The State of Black Fostering in the United Kingdom
The State of Black Fostering in the United Kingdom is BFCA’s annual evidence series examining whether the foster carer workforce reflects the children it serves. A new volume is published every October during Black History Month, creating a growing public record of change over time.
Each edition builds on the previous year so progress, persistent gaps and changes in practice remain visible.
Why BFCA publishes this report every year.
The report provides a clear, repeatable comparison between the ethnic profile of children in care and the foster carers available to care for them. By publishing the same core measures year after year, BFCA can show where progress is being made, where gaps remain, and where better data or action is needed.
Why the project exists
National fostering statistics do not currently make this comparison easy to see at a glance. BFCA therefore brings together official statistics and authority-level evidence to make the representation gap visible and trackable.
What the annual series will show
- The representation of Black and Global Majority children in care.
- The representation of Black and Global Majority foster carers.
- Authority-by-authority variation and emerging trends.
- Changes in recruitment, matching, support and data quality over time.
On 1 June 2026 we sent the same eleven questions to all 331 local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales. Each mark below represents one authority. This visual is an important part of the report because it shows, at a glance, what BFCA was able to count — and what the system still does not yet reveal.
gave us both halves of the equation: the ethnic profile of their children in care, and of their approved carers.
gave part of the picture. Some questions were answered, while others were not held, refused or suppressed.
had not answered yet. Volume 2 returns to every one of them so the annual record becomes stronger over time.
The 2026 report establishes the baseline.
Volume 1, published in October 2026, provides the first annual benchmark and sets out the scale of the representation gap.
of children in care in England are from the Global Majority.
of local authority foster carers are from the Global Majority.
authorities supplying both figures showed the children’s share above the carers’ share.
representation gap for mixed or multiple heritage children — the widest of any group.
Designed to be repeated every year.
This report series is intended to become more valuable over time. Each new volume builds on the previous one, helping the sector track progress, identify persistent gaps and benchmark change.
Collect
Gather national statistics and authority-level evidence relevant to fostering, ethnicity and representation.
Analyse
Review the evidence carefully so the findings are clear, transparent and rooted in real data.
Publish
Release the annual report each October as part of Black History Month.
Build the archive
Add each new volume here so the page becomes a growing record of the project.
Annual report archive.
Each October, the newest volume will be added here while previous editions remain available, creating a permanent record of the project.
The State of Black Fostering in the United Kingdom
The first annual report in the series. Published in October 2026 and intended to establish the national baseline.
Request Volume 1 →Next annual report
Add the 2027 report here once published. This card is already in place so the structure can stay consistent year to year.
Register interest →Growing annual archive
Continue adding each new report here so the page remains a long-term home for the project.
Evidence designed to inform action.
The report series is meant to be practical. It should help different audiences understand the scale of the issue and respond with better policy, commissioning, recruitment and support.
Carers
Use the evidence to make visible what many Black and Global Majority carers already know from experience.
Local authorities
Benchmark your fostering workforce against the children in your own care.
Commissioners
Use the findings to shape recruitment, support and service improvement priorities.
Researchers & media
Access a clear annual reference point with headline figures and a growing evidence base.
Policymakers
Understand where national data, accountability and action still need to improve.
Want to use or discuss the report?
BFCA can support organisations, partners and services that want to use the findings, understand the data or explore practical next steps.