2025 Policy Round-Up: Recruitment Hubs, Kinship Pilot and Allowance Uplifts

The fostering landscape in the UK is shifting fast in 2025. Amid a well-documented shortage of foster carers, policymakers have pressed ahead with Regional Recruitment Support Hubs, announced a Kinship Allowance Pilot that will test paying kinship families at the same level as foster carers, and confirmed annual allowance uplifts for 2025/26. This round-up explains what has changed, why it matters, and how prospective and approved carers—as well as local authorities (LAs) and independent fostering agencies (IFAs)—can make the most of the new policy environment.

Why 2025 matters

The pressure on placement sufficiency has been building for years. Ofsted data (reported by sector bodies) shows a continuing decline in fostering households in England—more carers leaving than joining—creating a structural shortfall just as need remains high. The Fostering Network highlighted a net loss of 765 fostering households in the latest annual figures published in late 2024, underlining the urgency behind recruitment and retention reforms.

Public concern has spilled into mainstream headlines too, with national charities and commentators warning of a “very real” crisis unless recruitment, pay and support are improved. That public conversation, in turn, has sharpened the policy response around hubs, kinship support, and fairer payments.

1) Recruitment Support Hubs: one front door, ten regions, and more to come

What they are. Recruitment Support Hubs (often branded locally as Foster with Us) bring councils together in regional clusters to provide a single front door for enquiries, a common brand and website, and shared processes from first contact through assessment. The aim is to boost the quality and volume of enquiries, speed up journeys to approval, and improve the early support offer so more new carers stay.

Where things stand in 2025. By mid-2025, there are 10 regional programmes operating across England, collaborating with over 60% of LAs—a significant consolidation of recruitment effort compared with previous, fragmented approaches. Written parliamentary evidence and sector commentary confirm both the scale and intent: to “redesign the journey” for applicants and improve retention.

Funding and the next phase. In April 2025 the government announced a £25m package for 2026–28 to scale foster care recruitment and peer support, with a headline expectation of recruiting around 400 additional fostering households nationally. This sits alongside a broader ambition to embed effective support models (see Mockingbird below).

How this changes practice.

• Faster, clearer applicant journeys. Shared digital funnels, common screening, and standardised comms reduce drop-off.
• Smarter local marketing. Hubs can pool budgets to run higher-reach campaigns and then route leads to the right LA partners.
• Better early-stage support. Coordinated training (Skills to Foster), peer networks, and clearer expectations at enquiry reduce withdrawals post-panel.

Mockingbird and retention. The Mockingbird programme—hub-and-constellation peer support led by The Fostering Network—features in the government’s reform menu because it improves stability and helps carers stay. The DfE’s plan envisaged a substantial expansion by 2025, with evaluations focusing on placement stability and carer retention. Expect hubs to use Mockingbird-style constellations as a retention backbone.

What carers and agencies should do now.

• Prospective carers: enquire through your regional hub; you should get faster callbacks and a single set of materials.
• Existing carers: watch for new peer-support offers and training routed via hub partners—particularly useful if you’re considering a transfer.
• IFAs and LA teams: align messaging with hub campaigns; map your pipeline metrics (conversion times, drop-off points) against hub benchmarks to spot quick wins.

2) Kinship Allowance Pilot: paying kinship carers at the fostering minimum

What’s been announced. In June 2025 the Department for Education invited up to 10 local authorities to pilot financial allowances for kinship carers, paid at the equivalent of the National Minimum Allowance (NMA) for foster care. Eligibility focuses on kinship families with (or applying for) Special Guardianship Orders (SGO) or ‘lives with’ Child Arrangement Orders (CAO) for children who would otherwise be in care.

Why it matters. Kinship placements often provide the best continuity for children, but finances can be a deciding factor in whether family members can step forward. Paying the fostering NMA equivalent tests whether improved financial stability reduces placement breakdowns, encourages more kinship carers to formalise arrangements, and ultimately eases pressure on the care system. Sector groups welcomed the move as the concrete delivery of a commitment flagged in the 2024 Autumn Budget.

What to expect next.

• Pilot areas named: shortlisted councils will confirm their timelines and operational guidance (referral pathways, claim processes, review points).
• Data and evaluation: expect metrics on placement stability, time to permanence, and net cost/benefit for LAs compared to alternatives.
• Knock-ons for recruitment: if kinship options stabilise more children early, mainstream fostering demand could shift from emergency/short-term to longer-term or specialist placements in some regions.

Practical takeaways for families.

• If you’re a relative or friend caring (or planning to care) under an SGO/CAO for a child who would otherwise enter care, watch your LA’s channels for pilot eligibility, evidence required, and how payments will align to age bands.
• Foster carers should be aware that kinship routes might be prioritised where appropriate, with mainstream recruitment increasingly focused on teens, sibling groups and complex needs.

3) Allowance uplifts for 2025/26: what carers will actually receive

Allowances are updated every April and vary by region and the child’s age. For England (6 April 2025 to 5 April 2026) the published weekly National Minimum Allowance (NMA) is:

• London: £198 (0–2), £201 (3–4), £225 (5–10), £257 (11–15), £299 (16–17)
• South East: £189, £196, £216, £247, £288
• Rest of England: £170, £176, £194, £220, £258.

A written answer confirmed the 3.55% uplift for 2025/26 and noted that Qualifying Care Relief for foster carer tax is being uprated with inflation—useful for carers completing self-assessment.

Elsewhere in the UK, the picture is less uniform:

• Wales signalled a modest uplift for 2025/26 (often cited around 2.6%) and many councils publish their own tables—prospective carers should always check local rates.
• Scotland uses a Scottish Recommended Allowance (SRA) framework and several councils have posted their 2025 rates; these are typically lower headline figures than in England but accompanied by different fee structures and supplements.
• Northern Ireland published 2024/25 rates and is due a 2025/26 update—again, check trust-level guidance for the latest numbers.

Remember: the NMA is a baseline for the child’s costs. Many fostering services add fees based on skills, experience and placement type (e.g., therapeutic, step-down from residential, parent & child), plus extras for birthdays, holidays and mileage. Always read your service’s policy and contract carefully before approval or transfer.

4) The wider market context: cost pressures and the role of IFAs

A summer 2025 analysis reported that nearly a quarter of placements in England are delivered by private-equity-backed IFAs, re-igniting debate over cost, value and market stability. Ministers have trailed measures to limit excessive profits while continuing to rely on independent providers for sufficiency. For carers, the practical question remains: where will I feel best supported to do the job well, and what does the total package look like (allowance + fee + training + wrap-around support)?

Recruitment hubs don’t remove the need for a mixed market; they aim to reduce duplication, raise conversion, and stabilise retention so LAs can meet more of their need directly. In areas where demand still outstrips in-house supply, IFAs will continue to play a key role, particularly for specialist and out-of-area matches.

5) What this means for prospective carers (and for Kent, Hounslow and nearby areas)

If you’re thinking about fostering in 2025, your experience should become simpler and faster:

• Single entry point: Search “foster with us” + your area; you’ll likely land on a hub site that routes your enquiry to the right council team. Many hubs cover multiple boroughs or counties—e.g., West London clusters (including Hounslow) and South-East clusters (covering Kent and neighbours).
• Clearer money matters: England’s NMA uplift is published; councils then add their own fees/top-ups. Ask recruiters to show a worked example for a teen placement (typical) and how birthdays, holidays and mileage are handled.
• More peer support: Look for Mockingbird constellations or similar networks—especially valuable in your first year.

For Kent & Hounslow specifically:

• Kent: A large, mixed urban/rural county with varied demand (teens, sibling groups, UASC). Expect hub-level marketing and a strong in-house offer; ask about travel/mileage for school and contact given longer distances in some districts.
• Hounslow: As part of a West London ecosystem, there’s high demand for teens and complex needs placements and a busy network of schools, CAMHS and Virtual School teams—ask how wrap-around support and out-of-hours work across borough boundaries.

6) Action list for 2025–2

Prospective carers

1. Enquire now via your regional hub; book onto an information session and ask for timelines to panel and placement.
2. Budget check: use the England NMA plus your local service’s fee table to estimate your likely weekly total; factor in tax using Qualifying Care Relief rules.
3. Training & peer support: prioritise services offering Mockingbird or equivalent structured networks.

Approved carers

1. Retention offers: ask your service how the £25m 2026–28 funding will translate locally (e.g., more respite, mentoring, or enhanced fees for specific complexities).
2. Consider transfer if your current support package lags behind neighbouring services—hubs make comparisons easier.
3. Specialise (e.g., therapeutic/teen/UASC) to align with demand and often achieve higher fee levels.

Kinship families

1. Watch pilot announcements in your LA; check SGO/CAO status and prepare documentation.
2. Get advice from kinship organisations on financial assessments and how pilot allowances sit alongside other support.

7) What to watch in the months ahead

• Which councils run the kinship pilot and how quickly results inform a national rollout.
• Hub performance data (conversion rates, time to approval, 12-month retention) and whether later cohorts achieve faster pipelines than early adopters.
• Allowance decisions outside England for 2025/26 and whether differences across nations widen or narrow.
• Market reforms aimed at rebalancing costs between LAs and IFAs without destabilising supply.

Bottom line

2025 is the year the system starts to pull recruitment, retention and family support into a clearer shape. Ten Recruitment Support Hubs now provide a coordinated front door and shared tools; the Kinship Allowance Pilot finally tests an obvious fairness principle; and carers in England have a confirmed NMA uplift with tax relief also rising. None of this—yet—closes the supply gap, but it does make the path into fostering simpler, the financial picture clearer, and the support offer stronger. If you’re ready to foster, this is a good moment to start: the system is being designed around helping you succeed.