Belonging in fostering: what the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 means for carers

BFCA Tutor

Sun, 27 Sep 2026

Children in care tell us again and again that what matters most is feeling that they belong: to a family, a community and a story. The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, which received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026, puts several parts of that belonging into law.

What the Act changes

• Brothers and sisters: local authorities have a stronger duty to allow reasonable contact between children in care and their siblings.
• Staying Close: councils must provide support to help eligible care leavers find and keep suitable accommodation, up to the age of 25, where their welfare requires it.
• Kinship care: every local authority must publish a kinship local offer, setting out the support available to kinship carers and the children they look after.
• Family group decision-making: families must usually be offered a family group decision-making meeting when a council is seriously considering care proceedings.
• Corporate parenting: a wider range of public bodies must be alert to things that could affect the wellbeing of children in care and care leavers.

What this means day to day

The law sets the framework, but belonging is built in ordinary moments: a photo on the fridge, a phone call with a sister, a meal that tastes like home, a carer who takes the time to learn how a child's hair should be cared for. For children from Black and global majority backgrounds, belonging also means seeing their culture, faith and language respected.

Courses that help

• Belonging in Fostering: Why It Matters is free, and explores what belonging looks like from a child's point of view.
• Staying Close and Transitions to Adulthood supports carers and professionals preparing young people for life after care. It is part of the Carer Essentials bundle.

Start with our free belonging course and see how small, everyday actions make a lasting difference.