Barnet is set to launch a new fostering hub aimed at significantly boosting the number of local carers available to support children in care.
The North London Fostering Hub, a regional partnership involving Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, and Islington, is scheduled to go live on October 1, 2026. This initiative is part of the government's wider fostering reform programme, designed to enhance foster carer recruitment, assessment, and support through increased regional collaboration.
The hub's primary objective is to increase the pool of local foster carers across North London. By establishing a single point of contact for prospective carers, implementing coordinated marketing efforts, and standardising recruitment and assessment processes, the hub aims to improve recruitment and approval rates, thereby increasing placement sufficiency across the sub-region.
Barnet's ambition to ensure more children remain close to their families, schools, and communities will be supported by this initiative. This is expected to reduce reliance on independent fostering agencies and out-of-area placements, leading to greater placement stability and improved outcomes for children and young people.
The development and implementation costs for the hub are fully funded by the Department for Education for the 2026/27 financial year, with partial funding for 2027/28. The six participating boroughs have agreed to contribute financially to its continued operation from 2027/28, with future funding arrangements to be determined based on the hub's performance and effectiveness.
Ambitious targets have been set, with the partnership aiming to recruit and assess 56 new foster carers between October 2026 and March 2027, followed by an additional 133 approvals during 2027/28. The hub's performance will be measured against recruitment activity, approval rates, placement sufficiency, foster carer experience, outcomes for children, and overall value for money. Future funding arrangements will be informed by these metrics.
While the North London Fostering Hub will manage foster carer recruitment and assessment, Barnet will retain key Corporate Parenting responsibilities. Following approval, foster carers will transfer to Barnet's Fostering Service, which will continue to provide supervision, support, training, annual reviews, placement matching, and ongoing oversight of fostering households. Barnet will also maintain responsibility for supported lodgings recruitment, peripatetic foster carers, the fostering panel for reviews and approvals of connected carers and peripatetic carers, placement commissioning, and all statutory responsibilities for children in foster care.
This regional model for recruitment and assessment is designed to work in tandem with locally delivered and accountable support to foster carers and children.
For more information on the Children and Education Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee, you can refer to the Agenda frontsheet and the Public reports pack.