Recruitment Support Hubs (“Foster with Us”): What Applicants Should Know

If you’ve started Googling how to become a foster carer in England, you’ll quickly bump into something called a regional recruitment support hub—often branded “Foster with Us” or similar. These hubs are part of a national programme to simplify the first steps into fostering by giving prospective carers a single front door for enquiries, early advice and triage before you move into the formal assessment with a council.

Below is a plain-English guide to how hubs work, what happens after you click “enquire”, and how they compare with going directly to a local authority (LA) or an independent fostering agency (IFA).

What exactly is a recruitment support hub?

Think of a hub as a regional team that handles the earliest stages of the fostering journey for a group of councils working together. The Department for Education (DfE) funded the development of regional clusters to create hubs, with a delivery partner (Mutual Ventures) supporting nine regions to set them up.

The idea is to pool marketing, information and screening, so you don’t have to repeat yourself across multiple councils and so the system can respond faster to good enquiries. A hub can then route you to the most appropriate council in its cluster for assessment, based on your location, home set-up and the kinds of placements you’re open to.

You’ll see live examples in different parts of England, such as Foster with North East (led by Together for Children Sunderland) and Foster with Us (a collaboration of five North West councils). They act as a first point of contact, offering impartial information sessions, screening calls and signposting right through to application.

Why did England create hubs?

Two reasons:

1. Shortage of carers. Most regions report a persistent gap between the number of children needing foster families and the number of approved households available. Sector bodies and charities have repeatedly highlighted this pressure and the need to increase high-quality enquiries.
2. Joined-up recruitment. Rather than each council running separate campaigns and duplicating effort, hubs standardise messaging and share the workload on advertising, information events and early screening, improving consistency and value for money.

Government and sector updates through 2024–25 also point to additional investment and comms campaigns designed to push more enquiries into these hubs.

What happens when you enquire through a hub?

Step 1: Triage and information.
After you submit a short form, a hub adviser will typically arrange a friendly screening call. Expect questions about your home (spare room), household members, work patterns, support network, and what kind of fostering you’re considering (short-term, long-term, siblings, parent & child, etc.). The aim is to help you decide if fostering fits your current circumstances and to give you clear next steps.

Step 2: Matching you to the right council.
If you’re a good fit, the hub refers you to one of its partner councils to proceed. This “routing” is the core benefit of the hub model—your information doesn’t get lost, and you’re transferred smoothly to the LA that will assess you. GOV.UK’s “Apply to foster” page now explicitly notes that some councils recruit jointly through a regional hub and will direct you accordingly.

Step 3: Formal application and assessment (with your council).
Once you’re with the council, you follow the standard assessment (including checks, training and panel). The hub doesn’t run your assessment; it prepares and connects you. Many hubs continue to offer touchpoints (emails, webinars) during assessment to keep you informed.

Data handling: Hubs publish privacy notices explaining what they collect (contact details, household info, preferences) and how it’s shared with councils for your application. Read these to understand consent and retention.

Benefits for applicants

One front door, fewer repeats.
You tell your story once; the hub does the legwork to route you correctly. That means less duplication and quicker progress to a meaningful conversation.

Consistent, up-to-date advice.
Because hubs coordinate for several councils, they run regular information events, online Q&As and myth-busting content. Applicants report clearer expectations about timescales, training, and allowances vs fees before committing.

Better fit from the start.
Hubs can spot if your preference (e.g., siblings, teens, parent & child) aligns more closely with one council’s placement profile than another’s, improving your chances of an early good match after approval.

Momentum and support.
Because hubs focus on the earliest stage only, teams can be highly responsive to new enquiries—helpful if you’re nervous and need guidance before making a big decision.

How hubs interact with LAs and IFAs

• Local Authorities (LAs): Hubs are LA-led collaborations. Your approval and placements are handled by the council you’re routed to. You’ll get the council’s training, supervising social worker and placement offers.
• Independent Fostering Agencies (IFAs): Hubs are not designed to funnel enquiries to IFAs. If you want to compare LA vs IFA packages (allowances, fees, support), you can still speak directly to IFAs in your area. The hub approach is about joining up LA recruitment, not taking away your choice.

Tip: If you’re undecided between LA and IFA, ask the hub for neutral information on what your local councils offer, then separately contact a few IFAs and compare like-for-like (allowance vs fee, training, wrap-around support, respite, 24/7 out-of-hours, and placement profiles).

Common questions applicants ask

Will a hub slow me down?
No—done well, hubs speed up the early stage by giving you quick access to knowledgeable advisers and by preventing mis-routing. Councils report that a hub model raises the quality of enquiries and keeps momentum toward assessment.

Do hubs cover my area yet?
Coverage is growing, with regional launches across England (e.g., Cumbria & Lancashire; the North East; large South East collaboration). If you enter your postcode on GOV.UK, you’ll be directed to your council or its hub where applicable.

Is this part of wider social care reform?
Yes. Hubs sit within England’s children’s social care reform agenda (the “Stable Homes, Built on Love” programme), which includes measures to improve recruitment and retention of foster carers.

Are hubs the same as Family Hubs?
No. Recruitment support hubs are about foster carer recruitment. Family Hubs are one-stop support centres for families and children. They’re related in spirit (joining up services) but they’re distinct programmes.

How to make the most of a hub enquiry

1. Be clear on your capacity.
   Expect questions about your spare room, daily routines, work, pets and support network. If some areas are borderline, ask what adaptations would make you foster-ready (e.g., bedroom reconfiguration, flexible working). A direct, realistic conversation helps route you correctly.
2. Ask about local need.
   What types of placements are most needed across the hub’s region—teens, siblings, UASC, respite? Aligning your availability with local demand can shorten the time between approval and your first placement.
3. Request a breakdown of money and support.
   Hubs will explain allowances (for the child) and refer you to council pages for fees/skill payments, training, respite and 24/7 support. Get it in writing so you can compare fairly with IFAs if you’re still weighing options.
4. Attend a hub info event.
   Many hubs run regular online sessions with real carers and supervising social workers—perfect for asking nuanced questions about assessment timelines, panel, and life after approval.

Pros and watch-outs

Pros

• Simpler first step with consistent advice across several councils.
• Faster triage and better routing—less duplication.
• Targeted campaigns driving more (and better) enquiries to your region.

Watch-outs

• Hubs don’t replace doing your own comparison. If you’re also exploring IFAs, you’ll need to contact them separately.
• Branding can be confusing: “Foster with Us”, “Foster for [Region]” and council pages can look different but lead to the same hub—check the footer or privacy page for the councils involved.

Bottom lin

Recruitment support hubs are designed to make the earliest stage of fostering easier, faster and clearer. You submit one enquiry, get credible, joined-up advice, and are routed to the council best placed to assess and support you. They don’t remove choice—you can still compare IFAs—but they raise the quality and speed of the journey for people who are ready to take the next step.