Fostering statistics

• 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.
• Every year thousands of new foster families are needed in England.

In the last 5 years:

• The number of children in care has increased by 2%.
• The number of children in foster care has decreased by 3.8%.
• The number of fostering families has increased by 0.2%.

For more details see statistics from the Department for Education and Ofsted.

• This is 84 per cent of the 4,188 children in care looked after away from home.
• There are approximately 3,129 foster families in Northern Ireland, and there is always a need for more foster families.

In the last 5 years:

• The number of children in care has risen by 24%.
• The number of children in foster care has risen by 32%.

For more details see the Department of Health website.

• This is nearly two-fifths of children in care looked after away from home.
• There are approximately 2,828 approved fostering families in Scotland.
• Every year hundreds of new foster families are needed in Scotland.

In the last 5 years:

• The number of children in care has fallen by 17%.
• The number of children in foster care has fallen by 23%.

For more details, see the Scottish Government website and the Care Inspectorate website.

• This is 68 per cent of the 7,200 children in care looked after away from home.
• As of 30 September 2025, there are approximately 3,538 foster families in Wales.
• Every year hundreds of new foster families are needed in Wales.

In the last 5 years:

• The number of children in care has risen by 0.4%.
• The number of children in foster care has decreased by 0.9%.

For more details see the Welsh Government website.