Merton Council is facing challenges in recruiting in-house foster carers, according to a performance monitoring report presented at the Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Panel meeting on 10 September 2025. The council aimed to recruit two in-house foster carers per quarter. However, only one foster carer was recruited in the first quarter of 2025/2026.
The report, which reviewed performance data up to 31 July 2025, highlighted that the number of in-house foster carers recruited was below target, marked as Amber. This comes as the council continues its Foster Carer Fortnight campaign, centred around the power of relationships
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According to the Public reports pack, the Departmental Update presented at the meeting included an update on the council's work around foster carer recruitment, but did not provide specific reasons for the recruitment challenges. The report refers to the Departmental Update for more information on foster carer recruitment: There was one foster carer recruited in the first quarter. Please see the Departmental Update elsewhere on this agenda for an update on our work around foster carer recruitment.
The council has been broadening its recruitment reach through community engagement, digital promotion, and targeted campaigns that highlight the value of fostering in Merton. Future plans include updating the logo and merchandising to align with the Merton brand and continuing with a fostering recruitment calendar to provide a clear and proactive framework for planned campaigns, events, and community outreach throughout the year.
It is unclear from the text how many foster carers were recruited in total in 2024/2025, but the number was less than the target of 2 per quarter, with only 7 in-house foster carers recruited in 2024/2025.