Urgent need for foster parents across Cheshire highlighted this Foster Care Fortnight

Chester-based fostering agency, Foster Care Matters, is encouraging people across Cheshire to consider becoming foster parents this Foster Care Fortnight 11th -24th May.

Throughout the next two weeks, Foster Care Matters will be joining others across the UK to thank foster parents for all they do and raise awareness of the life-changing impact fostering can have.

This year’s theme for Foster Care Fortnight, This is Fostering, shines a light on the everyday realities of fostering, raising awareness of the profound impact foster parents have on children’s lives. It celebrates the skills, commitment and love they show, often in incredibly challenging circumstances.

Foster parents play a crucial role in providing safe, stable, and nurturing homes for children and young people - many of whom have faced difficult or traumatic experiences. They support children in their education, physical and emotional wellbeing, and help them rebuild trust and confidence. But we urgently need more individuals, couples and families to think about fostering.

Across the North West, there is currently a shortage of at least 700 foster families leaving too many children without the local homes they need. Without locally based foster carers, children can end up in foster homes far away from everything they know – family, friends, schools and clubs. 

Foster Care Matters is a not-for-profit fostering service and part of children’s charity, Adoption Matters. The agency recently celebrated their 2^nd anniversary since launch (pictured Deb Reid from Foster Care Matters). The service has now grown a foster carer community across the North West and Stoke on Trent and offer therapeutic training and ongoing local support to their foster parents.

Karen Palfreyman, Foster Care Matters Registered Manager, comments:

“Foster parents don’t come in one mould. They represent a wide range of ages, backgrounds, genders, ethnicities and sexual orientations. This diversity is one of the greatest strengths of the fostering community, helping children feel safe, supported and able to thrive.

We welcome national initiatives such as Foster Care Fortnight for shining a light on the need for more foster carers. At Foster Care Matters, we continue this work year‑round, actively recruiting within our local communities and always ready to speak with anyone interested in fostering”.

Foster Care Matters fostering parents Pete & Lisa* were approved to foster with the agency in April, they commented:

“We are beyond excited to start our journey. We were both very nervous on the morning of panel, in our heads it was going to be like an interview panel with lots of intrusive questions and grilling.

In reality, it was such a positive experience. We were made to feel so comfortable and at ease. The panel members were all really kind and supportive.

For anyone starting out on their fostering journey, I think we would encourage them to go for it, take that step and become the change, the positive space, the constant that a child needs in their lives”.

If you’re keen to learn more about fostering or ready to take the next step, Foster Care Matters are hosting an online event on Tuesday 12 May at 6:30pm. 

If you can’t make it don’t worry, just get in touch with the team on:

0300 123 1061

...or visit: 

www.fostercarematters.org.uk   

*Names changed to protect anonymity.

About Foster Care Matters 

Foster Care Matters is a not-for-profit fostering agency recruiting foster parents across the whole of the North West and Stoke on Trent areas. The agency is committed to re-investing back into their service to offer high-quality therapeutic support and ongoing training to foster parents.

Foster Care Matters is part of Adoption Matters, a children’s charity and one of the largest voluntary adoption agencies in the UK.

www.adoptionmatters.org.uk   

Fostering statistics

• On average in the UK, a child comes into care in need of a foster family every 15 minutes.  

• The Fostering Network has estimated that across the UK around a third of foster care placements will be outside of a child’s local authority/trust. 

• Around 67,000 children live with over 52,000 foster families across the UK.

• This is two thirds of the 105,002 children in care away from home on any one day in the UK.  

Around 39,000 more children come into care over the course of 12 months, with similar numbers leaving the care system to return home, move in with another family member, live with new adoptive families, become subject to a special guardianship or residence order or move on to adult life.

England

• 54,820 children were living with foster families on 31 March 2025.

• This is 67 per cent of the 81,770 children in care looked after away from home.

• There are around 42,190 foster families in England.

Pictured - Karen Palfreyman from Foster Care Matters and Susy White from Adoption Matters.