Barnet Council has successfully increased its number of foster carer households, bucking a London-wide trend of decline. The Fostering Task and Finish Group reported at a Children and Education Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee meeting on Thursday, March 12, 2026, that Barnet had recruited 11 new foster carer households this year.
This success is attributed to specific strategies focused on face-to-face engagement. The council found that face-to-face conversations at community events, such as Brent Cross shopping centre and local fairs, have been more effective than social media for recruitment.
This approach was identified through a deep dive analysis of where the inquiries came from and where those in which inquiries converted into applications.
Furthermore, the council is actively maintaining contact with individuals who have previously expressed interest in fostering. This involves a systematic follow-up process, with every three months we go back to people who made inquiries but hadn't pursued the inquiries. So some of the, the, the work that, that we did was, was keep on having those conversations with young, with, with families that showed an interest.
The committee also noted that the Cabinet had accepted seven out of eight recommendations from the Fostering Task and Finish Group, with the eighth being partially accepted, indicating a strong commitment to supporting and expanding fostering services within Barnet. This response can be found in the document Appendix B - Cabinet Response to Fostering TFG.
While Barnet has seen an increase in foster carer households, the exact target number the council aims to achieve was not specified. However, the report indicated that the council is one household ahead of what we were last year because we, we, we still not increasing the numbers, but we're keeping it, um, we're keeping the numbers, um, static.
The Fostering Task and Finish Group's report can be accessed in full via Appendix A - Fostering TFG Report.
The meeting agenda and related documents, including the Cover report Fostering Task and Finish Group and the Agenda frontsheet 12th-Mar-2026 19.00 Children and Education Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee, provide further details on the discussions and decisions made.