The theme of this year’s awareness campaign is, “This is Fostering”, to recognise the different experiences that shape fostering today.

It is also an opportunity to spotlight the innovators working alongside carers, children and local authorities to make the system more supportive, equitable and sustainable for the future.

That includes Niketa Sanderson-Gillard, founder of Why Care, and Rachel Cole, founder of Black Foster Carers Alliance - two social entrepreneurs we are proud to support as they help widen what foster care looks like; rethinking how foster carers are recruited, supported and retained.

Across England, almost 150,000 households made initial enquiries about fostering last year. Yet only 2,050 went on to become approved foster carers, with many withdrawing during the assessment process.

Niketa’s work through Why Care focuses on improving the fostering journey from first enquiry through to a carer’s first year. Drawing on her background as a qualified social worker and vast experience in children’s social care policy, she works with local authorities to help prospective carers better understand the realities of fostering before they begin.

Niketa’s insight is simple but powerful: recruitment matters, but retention depends on whether carers feel genuinely prepared for the realities of fostering. Cohort-based assessments, mentor support from experienced foster carers and practical support when people start their journeys ensure applicants are not navigating the journey alone - and are more likely to continue their foster care journey.

Niketa said: “We talk about how we need more foster carers. And yes, we absolutely do. But we lose lots of carers during the assessment period, and we lose lots of carers in the first two years.

“It's really positive to see fostering high on the government's agenda. Their recently announced 10,000 places target gives us something to build around, and the work now is making sure those are the right homes - defined by quality, stability and the relationships children need to thrive".

Rachel’s work through Black Foster Carers Alliance (BFCA) focuses on what happens once carers enter the system as well as recruitment. Her organisation supports the recruitment and retention of black and minority ethnic foster carers while improving support for children in transracial placements.

Through mentoring, training and culturally informed support, Rachel is helping carers feel more confident before challenges arise - not after. Her work highlights the importance of equipping carers with practical cultural knowledge around areas such as hair and skin care, food, language, faith and identity, helping children feel understood and supported in everyday life.

She is also developing BFCA Connect, a digital platform designed to give carers immediate access to peer support, mentoring and guidance - creating what she describes as “a village in your pocket”.

Rachel said “What I see in foster care, it’s very reactive. It’s not proactive. What skills are we giving foster carers before they have got the children?

“Carers often need support with hair care, skin care, food, language, faith, name pronunciation and everyday cultural knowledge,” she said. “It’s great that they’ve got a home, but let’s support them in doing that.”

Both founders are driving systems change from the inside out but are clear that their work is not a substitute for what local authorities do - it is an investment in making it work better.

Rachel and Niketa were initially backed by UnLtd’s Millennium Awards Trust Starting Up Awards, before growing their social enterprises to secure further funding through our Continuous Support Awards and a systems change programme, which we ran in partnership with the Henry Smith Foundation. The pair have secured a total of approximately £30,000 from UnLtd.

The awards not only provided funding to the two entrepreneurs, but unlocked access to personalised business support, peer networks, mentoring and community connection.

Rachel said “UnLtd creates that environment that most other organisations don’t if they’re funding.

“When you’re a social enterprise and you’ve got big ideas, it’s good to have that community around you to speak to you about things - from getting specialist advice about trademarks to bouncing ideas off peers - because you can get really insular.”

By fuelling Niketa and Rachel ’s bold dreams, we can help create a fostering system where carers are better supported, children are better served and lasting change becomes possible.