Written questions

Foster Care

Commons · Question 113401 · Tabled 12 Feb 2026 · Department for Education · Official record

Answered 26 Feb 2026

Question

Asked by Rebecca Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that Regional Care Cooperatives work in structured collaboration with Independent Fostering Agencies to (a) facilitate shared sufficiency planning (b) maximise

Answer

Answered by Josh MacAlister, 26 Feb 2026

The department’s fostering plan, published on 4 February, focuses predominantly on strengthening local authority fostering provision, which has seen the biggest decrease in foster carers in recent years. At the same time, we want to see an expansion of th...