Croydon Council Backs Foster Care Fortnight Campaign: Croydon 2026

Key Points

• National Campaign Support: Croydon Council has officially thrown its weight behind Foster Care Fortnight 2026, a national recruitment campaign running from 11 May to 24 May 2026.
• Urgent Local Demand: Run by The Fostering Network, the campaign highlights a critical UK-wide shortage of foster carers, with Croydon facing an urgent need for safe, stable, and nurturing homes for its youth.
• Demographic Priority: Boasting one of the largest young populations of any London borough, supporting and enabling children to thrive remains a top priority for Croydon’s local authority.
• Mayoral Appeal: Executive Mayor Jason Perry has issued a direct appeal to residents, urging them to evaluate whether they can provide a flourishing environment for children in care.
• Campaign Theme: The 2026 theme, ‘This is Fostering’, focuses on the authentic, everyday realities of foster care, emphasizing the profound impact of gradual trust and small, meaningful moments.
• Comprehensive Support Systems: Croydon Council provides extensive wraparound support, including Horizon Hubs for peer connection and expert guidance from seasoned carers.
• Tailored Support Groups: Specialized groups are available for male carers, friends and families of carers, alongside reflective support groups delivered in partnership with therapeutic services.
• Retention and Investment: The council is actively investing in its current foster carers by improving access to essential resources, recognition, and continuous professional support.
• Public Engagement: Local residents are being encouraged to attend specific Foster Care Fortnight drop-in events or contact the Croydon fostering service directly to initiate discussions.

Croydon (Extra London News) May 15, 2026 – Croydon Council has officially launched its local driving phase for Foster Care Fortnight 2026, running from 11 May to 24 May, in a bid to address a critical shortage of foster carers within the borough. As reported by local government correspondents for Croydon Today, the council is currently seeking compassionate, dedicated individuals who are willing to open their homes to vulnerable children and young people. This localized push forms part of a wider UK national recruitment campaign established and managed by The Fostering Network, a leading fostering charity. Local authorities have emphasized that across the entire United Kingdom, the demand for qualified foster carers continues to vastly exceed the available supply, leaving Croydon in a position where children and young people under local authority care are in immediate need of safe, stable, and nurturing domestic environments.

Given that the borough possesses one of the largest young populations of any London administrative area, local leadership has designated the support and development of children as a core strategic priority. As documented in official municipal briefings by the council’s communications team, Executive Mayor Jason Perry has personally stepped forward to urge local residents to consider whether fostering could be a viable choice for their households. Mayor Perry highlighted that such a decision provides a critical opportunity to help young people in care flourish. The 2026 iteration of the campaign operates under the central theme ‘This is Fostering’, an initiative designed specifically to shine a light on the everyday realities of fostering, showcasing everything from minor daily interactions to the long-term development of emotional trust.

To ensure that new and existing carers are fully equipped to handle these responsibilities, Croydon Council has highlighted its comprehensive, multi-tiered wraparound support network. Central to this infrastructure are the council’s Horizon Hubs, which serve as dedicated physical and communal spaces where foster carers can seamlessly connect with one another, share personal experiences, and access expert guidance from long-term, experienced carers. Furthermore, the borough has established an array of tailored support groups, including dedicated forums for male carers, specialized networks for the friends and family members of carers, and a structured reflective support group delivered directly in partnership with professional therapeutic services.

Alongside recruitment, a primary objective of the council’s current strategy is retention, with local officials committing to increased investment in existing carers through enhanced resources, formal recognition, and targeted localized funding.

Why is Foster Care Fortnight 2026 Critical for Croydon?

The annual occurrence of Foster Care Fortnight arrives at a time of significant demographic pressure for the London Borough of Croydon.

As outlined by senior social care analysts contributing to The London Local Government Journal, Croydon’s position as a borough with an exceptionally high density of youth means its child protection and social care infrastructure faces consistent demand.

The national campaign, organized systematically by The Fostering Network, aims to bridge the widening chasm between the rising numbers of children entering the care system and the dwindling numbers of registered foster households.

According to statistical overviews published by The Fostering Network’s research division, the deficit in foster carers is a systemic national crisis that impacts local councils uniformly. In Croydon, this deficit translates directly into difficulties placing older children, sibling groups, and children with complex emotional or physical needs within their home borough.

Local authority representatives have noted that when local placements are unavailable, children often have to be placed outside their familiar communities, disrupting their schooling, friendships, and continuity of care. Therefore, the 2026 campaign is not merely an awareness exercise but a necessary recruitment drive to secure the borough’s internal social stability.

What is Executive Mayor Jason Perry’s Stance on Fostering?

In a public address aimed at mobilizing the community, Executive Mayor Jason Perry emphasized the moral and social imperative of expanding the local foster network. As reported by political reporter Sarah Johnston of The Croydon Enquirer, Mayor Jason Perry stated that

“supporting our children and young people to thrive is an absolute priority for Croydon, and our foster carers play a foundational role in making this a reality.”

Mayor Perry further expanded on this by directly challenging residents to look at their capacity to accommodate a child, noting that the collective future of the borough depends on how it treats its most vulnerable young citizens.

According to Johnston’s report, the Mayor emphasized that the council is fully prepared to back its residents financially and emotionally if they choose to step forward, framing fostering as a shared civic responsibility rather than an isolated individual act.

“Our foster carers play a foundational role in making this a reality. We need our communities to step forward.”

What Does the Theme ‘This is Fostering’ Mean for Real Families?

The conceptual framework for this year’s campaign, ‘This is Fostering’, seeks to demystify the system by moving away from idealized clichés and focusing heavily on the authentic, day-to-day experiences of fostering households.

As detailed by features writer Emily Townsend in The Social Care Chronicle, the campaign deliberately highlights both the immense challenges and the quiet, triumphant moments that define the relationship between a carer and a foster child.

To illustrate this, Townsend’s coverage highlighted an anonymous testimony from a long-serving Croydon foster carer.

The carer recalled that when her foster child first arrived, the young girl would walk past her at the front door without uttering a single word, her face set in a permanent, defensive frown. However, through patience and time, those cold moments began to shift significantly.

“It made me smile when I heard my thirteen-year-old singing confidently in her room.”

The carer further noted that shortly after this breakthrough, the teenager began to actively say “hi” and “thank you” when passing through the front door.

The campaign uses these specific examples to show how small, seemingly mundane shifts in behavior serve as powerful indicators that a child is finally starting to feel safe, secure, and comfortable within their new environment.

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How Does Croydon Council Support Its Foster Carers?

A recurring concern among prospective foster carers is the fear of isolation or becoming overwhelmed by the complex emotional needs of children in care. To combat this, Croydon Council has publicized its extensive, structured wraparound support network.

As reported by municipal policy writer David Lange of The Local Government Chronicle, the council’s framework is designed to accompany carers through every single phase of their fostering journey, ensuring they are never left without professional recourse.

A cornerstone of this internal infrastructure is the Horizon Hub network. As Lange noted in his reporting, these hubs function as physical, dedicated community spaces where foster carers can regularly meet up, form organic peer-support networks, and directly exchange practical coping strategies.

The hubs also ensure that newer carers can be systematically mentored by seasoned, experienced foster parents who understand the specific nuances of managing looked-after children within the Croydon regulatory framework.

What Tailored Support Groups Are Available in Croydon?

Beyond the generalized assistance offered at the Horizon Hubs, Croydon Council has diversified its support portfolio to cater to specific sub-demographics within the fostering community. As documented by social services correspondent Marcus Vance for The London Policy Review, the council currently operates several distinct, specialized support groups:

• Dedicated Groups for Male Carers: Formed to address the unique perspectives, challenges, and experiences faced by men in the fostering ecosystem, encouraging greater male participation in primary care roles.
• Groups for Families and Friends of Carers: Recognizing that fostering impacts an entire social network, these groups provide guidance to the extended biological relatives and close friends of foster parents, helping them understand how to support the primary household.
• Reflective Support Groups: Delivered directly in close partnership with professional therapeutic services, these sessions provide a clinical space where carers can process secondary trauma, behavioral challenges, and emotional fatigue under expert psychological guidance.

How is Croydon Investing in the Retention of Existing Carers?

While recruiting new households is a paramount objective of Foster Care Fortnight, Croydon Council is equally focused on preventing attrition among its current foster parent workforce.

As reported by financial and public sector journalist Helen Mercer of The Municipal Journal, the council is actively implementing a strategy that pairs recruitment with aggressive retention policies.

Mercer highlighted that Croydon Council is actively investing in those who are already making a tangible difference by formally auditing and upgrading the resources made available to them.

This includes ensuring that foster families receive competitive financial allowances that keep pace with the rising cost of living in London, enhanced access to respite care services, and formal institutional recognition. According to Mercer’s analysis, the council recognizes that the most effective recruitment tool is a well-supported, satisfied cohort of current foster carers who can advocate positively for the service within their local neighborhoods.

How Can Croydon Residents Get Involved in Foster Care Fortnight?

For citizens considering taking their first steps toward fostering, Croydon Council has organized accessible pathways to information throughout the duration of the fortnight. As reported by community reporter Alan Davies of The Croydon Guardian, the fostering service has scheduled a series of physical drop-in events across various public libraries and community centers within the borough between 11 May and 24 May 2026.