Foster Care Fortnight 2026 in Barking and Dagenham

Key points

• Barking and Dagenham Council’s fostering team has launched a redesigned council fostering website to make information clearer and more accessible for prospective and existing foster carers.
• The new site explains what fostering involves, shares real–life stories from local carers, and provides step‑by‑step guidance on how to start fostering with the council.
• As part of Foster Care Fortnight 2026, foster carers from Barking and Dagenham, alongside council staff, attended a special reception hosted by The Fostering Network at the House of Lords.
• Hannah Hylton, a Hub Home Foster Carer with Barking & Dagenham Council for over six years, delivered a speech at the House of Lords event, describing foster families as “ordinary” people who provide stability and everyday normality for children in care.
  ‑ Barking and Dagenham Council continues to invest in its fostering community, offering specialist training, generous financial allowances, a dedicated social work team, a monthly therapeutic clinic, peer networks, mentoring, and regular activities for children.
• Foster Care Fortnight 2026 ran nationally from 11 to 24 May under the theme “This is Fostering”, highlighting the realities of fostering and calling for more people to consider it.

Barking and Dagenham Council, (East London Times) May 20, 2026 –
Barking and Dagenham’s fostering service has used Foster Care Fortnight 2026 to both recognise existing foster carers and launch a new‑look council fostering website aimed at making it easier for residents to learn about and start fostering.

As reported by The Fostering Network, the new website is designed to provide a clearer, more accessible route for people in Barking and Dagenham who may be considering becoming foster carers or who wish to transfer to the council’s in‑house fostering service. It includes information on the fostering process, examples of local foster carers’ experiences, and step‑by‑step guidance on how to begin an application, all structured to feel “simpler, more transparent and more welcoming”.

What the new fostering website offers

The revamped Barking and Dagenham fostering website explains how becoming a foster parent involves supporting a child in care with love, stability and day‑to‑day upbringing, while also providing a safe and nurturing home environment.

According to the council’s page, the Fostering Team offers training, guidance and “generous fees” alongside ongoing support throughout a carer’s fostering journey.

As outlined on the council’s own fostering section, Barking and Dagenham encourages applications from people of all backgrounds, cultures and family structures, stressing that sexual orientation, disability status, or relationship status are not barriers to fostering.

The site notes that foster carers can receive up to £712.50 per week, plus additional benefits such as free leisure‑centre access, and invites those interested to call or submit an online application form.

Why the council is investing in its fostering community

Barking and Dagenham Council says it continues to invest in its fostering community, providing a comprehensive support package that goes beyond financial allowances.

As described in the council’s 2025 Foster Care Fortnight coverage, in‑house foster carers in the borough receive 24‑hour support, high‑level training for both new and existing carers, and “competitive weekly payments” to help maintain stable homes.

In addition, the council highlights that its fostering offer includes:

• specialist training tailored to each stage of the fostering journey;
• generous financial allowances;
• support from a dedicated social work team and a monthly therapeutic clinic;
• peer networks and mentoring opportunities for carers; and
• regular activities for children in foster care.

How foster carers from Barking and Dagenham were celebrated at the House of Lords

As reported by The Fostering Network, Foster Care Fortnight 2026 included a celebration event at the House of Lords, where foster carers, sector leaders and policymakers gathered to spotlight the role foster families play across England.

Foster carers from Barking and Dagenham, alongside members of the council’s fostering team, attended this reception, which was hosted by The Fostering Network and recognised local contributions to national fostering efforts.

At the same event, Hannah Hylton, a Hub Home Foster Carer with Barking & Dagenham Council for more than six years, gave a speech, as reported by her spouse and fellow foster‑care advocate Richard H. in a LinkedIn post. In her remarks, Hylton emphasised that foster carers are “not extraordinary people” but individuals who

“make space in our ordinary lives so children can experience family, stability, and everyday normality”.

She added, drawing on the proverb, that “it takes a village to raise a child”, and that children in care experience that collective care through extended family, genuine relationships, and adults who

“delight in them, celebrate them, and comfort them when things are hard”.

What Foster Care Fortnight 2026 means nationally

Nationally, Foster Care Fortnight 2026 ran from 11 to 24 May under the theme “This is Fostering”, coordinated by The Fostering Network as the UK’s largest fostering‑awareness campaign.

The theme was intended to shine a light on the everyday realities of fostering, to raise awareness of the positive impact foster carers have, and to act as a call to action for more people to consider becoming foster carers.

The Fostering Network explains that the fortnight also provides a platform for foster and kinship carers, agencies and local authorities to highlight challenges within the sector and to lobby for meaningful change from government.

In Barking and Dagenham’s case, the borough’s participation included both the House of Lords reception and the launch of the updated council fostering website, tying local activity to the wider national campaign.

Background: The context of fostering in Barking and Dagenham

Fostering in Barking and Dagenham forms part of a wider Local Community Fostering network for northeast London, which aims to recruit and support foster carers from diverse backgrounds across several boroughs.

The council has previously marked Foster Care Fortnight with local events, including a 2025 celebration where the council’s leadership publicly thanked the borough’s Foster Carer Association and acknowledged the contributions of around 127 in‑house foster‑care households.

In those earlier remarks, Councillor Dominic Twomey, Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, described foster carers as going “above and beyond” to give children in need the best start in life, while Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care & Disability, Cllr Jane Jones, called fostering “one of the most demanding jobs” and praised carers as “miracle workers”.

This backdrop of local recognition helps frame the 2026 round of activities, including the new website and the House of Lords event, as extensions of that ongoing commitment to supporting foster families.

Prediction: How this development could affect the local community and potential foster carers

The launch of Barking and Dagenham’s new fostering website, combined with the borough’s participation in the House of Lords event during Foster Care Fortnight 2026, is likely to affect residents who are considering fostering by making it easier to understand the role and the council’s support offer.

By presenting clearer information, real carer stories and step‑by‑step guidance online, the council may lower the perceived complexity of starting fostering and encourage more people from different backgrounds to explore the opportunity.

For existing foster carers in the borough, the high‑profile celebration at the House of Lords and the council’s continued emphasis on 24‑hour support, training and financial allowances may help reinforce a sense of recognition and professional standing, which could in turn support carer retention. If the website and national campaign successfully drive more applications, local families in need of foster care placements could benefit from a larger pool of trained carers, potentially reducing placement pressures for the council over time.