Recruitment Support Hubs (“Foster with Us”): What They Mean for Applicants

If you’ve been thinking about fostering and keep hearing the phrase “Recruitment Support Hub” or seeing the “Foster with Us” brand, here’s the simple version: England is redesigning the first part of the fostering journey so it feels clearer, quicker and more consistent—no matter which council you live in. The Department for Education (DfE) has funded regional “hubs” to act as a single front door for enquiries, events and early-stage support, before you’re matched with your local council to complete assessment and get approved. The shift is national policy: it began with the Foster with North East pathfinder in 2023, then rolled out to ten regional hubs covering most councils in England.

Below, we’ll demystify what a hub is, where they operate (including Kent, Hounslow and neighbours), and—most importantly—what changes for you as an applicant.

What is a Recruitment Support Hub?

A recruitment support hub is a joint, council-run service for a whole region. Instead of every local authority running its own separate marketing, events and early enquiry handling, the hub centralises those first steps. You make one enquiry, get routed to the right people, join shared info events, and receive consistent guidance before your assessment starts with the most appropriate council in your area. The DfE created these hubs to increase the number of approved foster carers and improve the applicant experience as part of its wider reform programme (Stable Homes, Built on Love).

The model has grown fast. After the Foster with North East pathfinder launched in September 2023, DfE’s delivery partner confirmed the country now has ten regional hubs serving the majority of English councils—an explicit move to “do recruitment differently” and leverage shared campaigns, shared teams and benefits of scale.

Where are the hubs—and do Kent or Hounslow have one?

Yes, both the South East and West London have hubs:

• Local Authority Fostering South East brings together 20 councils, including Kent, Medway, Surrey, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, East/West Sussex and more. The hub explains the journey, runs events and connects you to the right council once you’re ready.
• Foster with West London is a hub for eight boroughs—Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster—and acts as the single point of contact for fostering enquiries across West London.

There are hubs across other regions too (e.g., Foster with North East; hubs for Greater Manchester, East Midlands, Foster East, and more), confirming that this is a national shift rather than a local experiment.

If you’re unsure whether your council is in a hub, the official GOV.UK “apply to foster” page will automatically direct you to the correct council or hub when you enter your postcode.

Why hubs? The policy context in 30 seconds

England faces a well-documented shortage of foster carers. In response, government committed £27–£36 million (2022–25) to a national Fostering Recruitment & Retention Programme that includes pan-local authority hubs, regional campaigns, and wider supports like Mockingbird to retain carers. DfE reported that, by late 2024, the programme was already working with 60%+ of councils. In April 2025, a further £25m (2026–28) was announced to keep momentum.

How the hub changes your application experience

Think of the hub as Phase 1 of your journey: a shared team and shared digital front door for your region that stays with you until you’re ready to apply to a specific council. In practical terms, you can expect:

1. One enquiry, not five forms. You submit a single contact form or call one number; the hub triages and keeps you moving. GOV.UK now reflects this by signposting applicants to a hub where one exists.
2. Regular online and in-person events. Hubs run consistent information sessions with foster carers and supervising social workers, so you get realistic answers early. (See West London’s “Events”.)
3. Myth-busting and quick eligibility checks. Can you foster if you rent? Do you need a spare room? Hubs publish clear help pages so you don’t self-exclude unnecessarily. (See South East hub’s “Who can foster?”, “Types of fostering”.)
4. A handover to the right council. When you’re ready, you’ll be matched to a partner council for your Form F assessment, training, panel and approval—keeping you local to the child you’ll likely care for.

That “single-front-door” approach is deliberate: the programme aims to standardise the first steps so applicants across a whole region get the same clear route into fostering.

What stays the same (spoiler: pay, support and approval are still local)

Hubs do not replace your local fostering service; they feed into it. Your assessment, approval, supervising social worker, allowances and support package sit with the council you join.

Two useful truths to keep in mind:

• Allowances and fees are set by councils, with national minimums uplifted each year but local top-ups varying by region and complexity. Hubs don’t change that; they just make it easier to reach the right team.
• Local authority fostering is not-for-profit—the South East hub even calls this out as a reason to foster with your council—so the budget goes back into children and carer support.

Is “Foster with Us” a specific hub—or a wider brand?

Both. In the North West (Cumbria & Lancashire) cluster the “Foster with Us” brand is used publicly; the councils involved (e.g., Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Lancashire County, Cumberland, Westmorland & Furness) launched a joint hub in July 2024 through a successful regional bid.

Because a hub is pan-council, it may need to share your enquiry information with partner authorities to route you correctly; the Foster with Us privacy notice lists the councils involved and explains how your data is used. If you care about data handling (and you should), it’s a helpful read.

Will a hub make things faster?

Hubs are built to remove duplicated effort and reduce bottlenecks at the start (multiple phone numbers, inconsistent marketing, gaps between events). The DfE’s delivery partner describes the goal as “end-to-end improvements in the recruitment journey”—from first enquiry to application—using shared teams, shared CRMs and joint campaigns to keep you warm and informed. The earliest pathfinder (North East) proved the model is viable, which is why it’s now ten hubs. Faster will always depend on your availability, checks, references and the region’s capacity, but the front-end friction is exactly what the hubs are designed to fix.

How hubs affect Kent, Hounslow and nearby areas

• Kent (and the South East): You’ll likely start at Local Authority Fostering South East, where the hub team handles first contact, info sessions and signposting. You’ll then progress with Kent County Council (or the right South East partner) for assessment, training and panel.
• Hounslow (and West London): Your journey begins with Foster with West London, which explicitly states it is the single point of contact for applicants across its eight councils—including Hounslow. Once ready, you move forward with the appropriate borough’s fostering team.

Either way, a hub helps keep children living locally, which matters for school, friends and family contact—another benefit the South East hub emphasises.

Hubs vs Independent Fostering Agencies (IFAs): does this change your choice?

Hubs are council-run and exist to make it easier to foster with your local authority. You can still enquire with an Independent Fostering Agency if you prefer; hubs don’t remove that option. What does change is visibility: councils in your region now coordinate marketing and enquiry handling together, so you’re less likely to get lost between neighbouring local authorities—and more likely to find a local council route that suits your needs. (The GOV.UK postcode tool will show your council or hub by default.)

Some applicants favour councils because of local placements and not-for-profit status, while others prefer IFAs for different types of support. The hub doesn’t settle that debate—but it does make the council route clearer and easier to navigate.

How to use a hub to your advantage (practical tips)

1. Start at GOV.UK and follow the signpost to your hub or council. That guarantees you’re in the official pipeline for your area.
2. Book an info session early. Ask about training, support networks, out-of-hours support, and how the hub partners with Virtual School and local services. (Hubs publish their training/support offer—see South East and West London.)
3. Get “ready-to-go” evidence: ID, proof of address, landlord permission (if renting), details of your support network, pet vaccinations, and space for a child (spare room). The hub’s myth-busting pages help you prepare.
4. Ask about allowances up front. Councils pay at least the national minimum (uplifted annually), sometimes with local top-ups for complexity or skills. Clarify what’s typical for your area and placement type.
5. Keep momentum. Hubs exist to keep you engaged between steps—use them. If life gets busy, ask the hub to reschedule or move you to the next available event so your application doesn’t stall.

What to watch next (policy signals)

The DfE has indicated that hubs, regional campaigns and Mockingbird are part of a longer-term plan to stabilise children’s social care. With additional funding announced for 2026–28, expect more regions to deepen or expand hub activity, and more councils to join. That means more frequent events, more consistent information, and—ideally—more approved carers close to where children live and learn.

Bottom line: what hubs mean for you

• You’ll start faster and feel clearer about next steps.
• You’ll tap a regional team that’s designed to answer the big “Can I foster if…?” questions early.
• You’ll be handed over cleanly to the right council for assessment and approval.
• Core things—allowances, support, training, approval—still sit with your local council.

If you’re in Kent or Hounslow, you can begin today via Local Authority Fostering South East or Foster with West London respectively—or simply plug your postcode into GOV.UK and let it route you. Whatever path you choose, the hubs exist for one purpose: to make the first steps into fostering simpler and more supportive, so more children can stay local, stable and loved.