A child’s drawing showing a green outline of a house on the left and a colourful striped hand on the right with an orange heart in the palm that says “Home”. Handwritten text at the top reads: “Anya-Mai 10 Wirral”.

Are you drawn to care?

Find out about our Our Drawn to Care art challenge

Every 20 minutes, a child enters the care system - that’s 72 children every day who need a loving home. Foster care provides a safe, secure and stable environment for many of these children who cannot live with their birth family.

Across the UK, more than 100,000 children live away from their birth families, and most are placed with foster carers. Foster carers can change childhoods and lives – by giving children a place to feel safe, supported, and at home.

As the number of children in care grows, fewer people are coming forward to foster. The Fostering Network estimates we need around 6,500 new foster carers to meet this demand. Without enough families to care for them, children may have to move far from home, school, friends, or even their brothers and sisters.

A young man with a large, voluminous afro hairstyle is standing outdoors on a grassy area. He has a slight smile on his face and is wearing a light grey Nike T-shirt. The background shows a slightly blurred landscape with trees.
You gave me that sense of feeling part of a family again – and that has meant everything.

Romarnie

Our Drawn to Care art challenge

To highlight that in a 24-hour period 72 children will enter the care system - that’s one every 20 minutes - we’ve challenged 72 people from across the UK to create a piece of art that represents what home means to them. 

This list of 72 ‘artists’ includes artists and celebrities as well as children, young people and families from across Barnardo’s services and network of foster carers. 

We’ll be sharing images of the art produced across our social media channels on Thursday 15 January.

Follow us to see pieces created as part of the Drawn to Care art challenge

Two people are standing outdoors on a grassy hill with a foggy landscape in the background, showing a distant town and trees. On the left is a young man with voluminous curly hair wearing a grey T-shirt under a black jacket. The other person is an older woman with shoulder-length wavy hair wearing a white T-shirt under a dark zip-up hoodie.

“Something I wish I’d known before I started fostering…”

For more than 12 years, Jeanette has been a foster carer with Barnardo’s, opening her home to children and young people who needed stability, care and a place to feel safe. One of the children she fostered is Romarnie, who is now an independent young adult, thriving at university. 

A foster Dad sits next to a boy in his early teens at a table, they are working on some homework together and smiling

Want to learn more about fostering?

From who can foster, to what the application process is like, to all the support we'll give you if you foster with us. Find out more information about fostering as well as how you can get in touch and start your fostering journey.

Three people are seated around a wooden table in a cosy indoor setting, engaged in conversation. Two are sitting next to each other. They are a similar age both with silver hair. Opposite them is a woman with black long hair. They are looking at her and listening intently. On the table are two bright yellow mugs, a clear glass, and some papers.

Three things social workers want you to know about fostering

Fostering can be deeply rewarding, but it also comes with challenges. We believe being open about both is essential in helping people decide whether fostering is right for them. We asked Barnardo’s fostering social and project workers to share things they’d like people to understand about fostering.

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