Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will (a) introduce a dedicated employment status for foster carers, (b) establish an independent register and appeals system for foster carers and (c) launch a public inquiry into the fostering system.

Fostering is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The government does not believe that fostering should be considered a form of employment. Foster care is a family-based vocation and fostering homes should feel like family homes with people who love them, not a workplace with staff. Foster carers should not need to be considered workers to get the support and respect they deserve.

The department recently launched a Call for Evidence on a national fostering register, including purpose, scope, design features and safeguards. We are analysing responses and will publish results and our response in the summer. The Independent Review Mechanism provides independent panels that review decisions made by fostering providers.

Our focus is on delivering on our ambitious action plan to renew foster care, published in February 2026. By April 2029, we will create 10,000 more foster places, providing a foster place for every child who needs one. We have no current plans to launch a fostering inquiry. There have been several independent reviews into fostering and the wider care system, including ‘Foster Care in England’ (2018), the ‘Independent Review of Children’s Social Care’ (2022) and the Education Select Committee’s 2025 inquiry into Children’s Social Care.