Updating foster care standards and guidance

This consultation focuses on changes to national fostering standards and guidance. 

Who this is for 

• Current and former foster carers 

• Care experienced people 

• Kinship carers 

• Local Authority staff, including social workers  

• Independent Fostering Agencies  

• Fostering panel members 

• Organisations and charities who regularly engage with foster carers, and/or children and young people in foster care 

We have also produced a version of this document for children and young people in the care system. This is available here.  

Issue date 

The consultation was issued on 8 July 2026.  

Enquiries 

If your enquiry is related to the policy content of the consultation you can contact the team on standards.CONSULTATION@education.gov.uk 

If your enquiry is related to the DfE e-consultation website or the consultation process in general, you can contact the DfE Ministerial and Public Communications Division by email: coordinator.consultations@education.gov.uk, telephone: 0370 000 2288 or via the DfE Contact us page. 

Additional copies 

Additional copies are available electronically and can be downloaded from GOV.UK DfE consultations. 

The response 

The results of the consultation and the department's response will be published on GOV.UK in Autumn 2026.  

We may use computer-based tools, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), to help review and summarise the responses we receive. These tools can assist us in identifying themes, grouping similar comments, and processing large volumes of information more efficiently. Any insights generated by AI are always reviewed by our analysis team, and all final conclusions are made by people. The use of these tools does not replace human judgment. 

All personal data will continue to be handled securely and in line with data protection legislation.