Children and young people are at risk of increased instability, as new figures reveal hundreds more foster carers are urgently needed across Northern Ireland.
New data from The Fostering Network shows that 300 additional foster carers are required to give children the safe, stable, and loving homes they need. This Foster Care Fortnight (11–24 May), the charity is calling on the Northern Ireland Assembly to properly value foster care - before even more carers are lost.
The number of foster carers across Northern Ireland has been falling overall since 2021, and the system remains under significant strain. Increasing numbers of children are entering care each year, with a 46% increase in children over the past 10 years, further highlighting the need to increase the number of foster carers and invest in greater early support for families.
Foster carers report insufficient finances, inadequate support from fostering services, and a lack of respect from the wider team around the child - all of which are taking a serious toll on their wellbeing and contributing to carers leaving the role.
This lack of support has direct and damaging consequences for children and young people who have already experienced significant trauma. Stability is essential for them to heal and thrive, yet declining numbers of foster carers mean this stability is increasingly out of reach.
Children can experience unplanned moves. Sometimes they are moved far from their communities, or often separated from their brothers and sisters, adding to the trauma they have already experienced.
Financial support is also critical to ensuring foster carers can continue in their role and provide everything the child needs whilst in their care. While all foster carers should receive an allowance and a fee, payments are often too low and inconsistent across the UK.
Foster carer, Mark Boyd, has been fostering for five years. He said: “Foster carers do this because they care deeply about children and young people, not for financial gain. But rising living costs, and ongoing pressure on social services are placing huge strain on fostering families and the systems meant to support them.
“Many carers feel that, unless you are already financially secure, fostering is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain, particularly given the complex challenges carers face every day supporting children who have experienced trauma.
“Despite these pressures, the support I’ve received has often been very positive, and foster carers remain committed to providing stable, loving homes for children who need them most.”
Urgent government action is needed to stabilise the fostering system. Children must have the right foster carers, in the right place, at the right time - so they can build secure, lasting relationships and reach their full potential.
This Foster Care Fortnight, The Fostering Network is calling on the Assembly to:
Urgently prioritise improving foster care through the immediate introduction of a new fostering strategy which places equal focus on retaining existing foster carers, as well as recruiting new carers. This should include clear plans to increase foster carer allowances in line with inflation for 2026/27 without delay, as they have been frozen since 2024. We’re also calling for wrap around support – so there’s always help on hand when needed.
Jade Irwin, interim director of The Fostering Network in Northern Ireland, said: “Foster Care Fortnight is an opportunity to say thank you to foster carers for the incredible work they do, while also calling on the Northern Ireland Government for much needed change in the system.
“Foster care can make all the difference in the world for a baby, child or young person. When foster carers are well resourced and valued, the care they offer is life changing.
“The climate we are in is concerning - there are more children entering care, and not enough foster carers and the services that offer invaluable support are being reduced or removed. We need to see urgent prioritisation of foster carers and care experienced children and young people. What we have currently is not good enough - they deserve better."
The Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt, said: “Fostering is not abstract or theoretical, it happens every day, in real homes, with real families, supporting real children. Foster carers step in at moments of significant need and provide safety, stability and care when it matters most.
“I want to thank foster carers across Northern Ireland for the commitment, resilience and compassion they bring to this role, often in very challenging circumstances. The impact of what you do for children and young people is profound.”
Kerrylee Weatherall, Interim Director of Children’s Services representing HSC NI Foster Care said: "We value each and every one of our foster carers and kinship foster carers who continue to go above and beyond to provide safety, stability and love that all our children and young people deserve. This year’s theme, 'This is Fostering' invites us all to shine a light on the everyday experiences of fostering- to recognise the real, lived moments that define what fostering truly is. Because fostering is not just about big milestones or headlines. It is about the quiet, consistent acts of care, and being there every single day.
“As we launch Foster Care Fortnight, let us use the days ahead to continue shining that light- to tell the stories that celebrate our foster carers, and to encourage others to step forward and be part of this vital community."
