{
 "id": "fostering-england",
 "title": "Fostering households and carers, England",
 "category": "education",
 "summary": "Approved fostering households and foster carers in England at 31 March each year since 2021, those approved by councils and by independent fostering agencies, from Ofsted's fostering statistics.",
 "unit": "count",
 "chart": "line",
 "volatile": false,
 "status": "Accredited official statistics",
 "notes": [
  "Mainstream fostering households and carers approved at 31 March, by fostering services run by councils and by independent fostering agencies, as Ofsted's annual fostering collection records them; formal kinship care (family and friends) households are counted apart from 2021-22 and are not in these figures.",
  "Ofsted rounds every figure to the nearest 5, its totals for England included, so councils and agencies may not add up exactly to England. The collection is not revised."
 ],
 "provenance": {
  "publisher": "Ofsted",
  "publisher_url": "https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted",
  "source_page": "https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/childrens-social-care-statistics",
  "licence": "OGL-3.0",
  "licence_name": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.",
  "retrieved_at": "2026-11-09T14:49:14Z",
  "raw_files": [
   {
    "name": "page.json",
    "url": "https://www.gov.uk/api/content/government/statistics/fostering-in-england-1-april-2024-to-31-march-2025",
    "sha256": "3ee1d8b01b6c45f94966c4dd817790cb72caac1bffc9c1ca9835b1add1ad59bc",
    "bytes": 23021,
    "content_type": "application/json"
   },
   {
    "name": "table.ods",
    "url": "https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69202f3625317fc65a5cfd81/Fostering_in_England_underlying_data_2025_final.ods",
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   }
  ]
 },
 "meta": {
  "latest_period": "2025-03-31",
  "govuk_page": "/government/statistics/fostering-in-england-1-april-2024-to-31-march-2025",
  "govuk_page_title": "Fostering in England 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025",
  "attachment_title": "Underlying data: fostering in England as at 31 March 2025"
 },
 "headline": {
  "label": "Approved fostering households",
  "value": 33435.0,
  "period": "2025-03-31",
  "note": "with 56,345 approved foster carers, at 31 March"
 },
 "series": [
  {
   "name": "Approved fostering households",
   "points": [
    {
     "x": "2021-03-31",
     "v": 37325.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2022-03-31",
     "v": 36050.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2023-03-31",
     "v": 35005.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2024-03-31",
     "v": 33745.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2025-03-31",
     "v": 33435.0
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "name": "Households approved by councils",
   "points": [
    {
     "x": "2021-03-31",
     "v": 21495.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2022-03-31",
     "v": 20845.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2023-03-31",
     "v": 19835.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2024-03-31",
     "v": 18860.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2025-03-31",
     "v": 18415.0
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "name": "Households approved by independent agencies",
   "points": [
    {
     "x": "2021-03-31",
     "v": 15830.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2022-03-31",
     "v": 15205.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2023-03-31",
     "v": 15170.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2024-03-31",
     "v": 14890.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2025-03-31",
     "v": 15020.0
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "name": "Approved foster carers",
   "points": [
    {
     "x": "2021-03-31",
     "v": 63890.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2022-03-31",
     "v": 61360.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2023-03-31",
     "v": 59380.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2024-03-31",
     "v": 57065.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2025-03-31",
     "v": 56345.0
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "name": "Carers approved by councils",
   "points": [
    {
     "x": "2021-03-31",
     "v": 36670.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2022-03-31",
     "v": 35330.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2023-03-31",
     "v": 33575.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2024-03-31",
     "v": 31810.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2025-03-31",
     "v": 30930.0
    }
   ]
  },
  {
   "name": "Carers approved by independent agencies",
   "points": [
    {
     "x": "2021-03-31",
     "v": 27220.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2022-03-31",
     "v": 26035.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2023-03-31",
     "v": 25805.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2024-03-31",
     "v": 25255.0
    },
    {
     "x": "2025-03-31",
     "v": 25415.0
    }
   ]
  }
 ]
}