The background
We believe a bright future is the right of every young person, wherever they live, whatever their circumstance. At HOME, we believe that keeping brothers and sisters together isn’t optional – it’s essential.
Children thrive when they grow up alongside the people who know them best – their siblings. Keeping siblings together means giving children the stability and connection they deserve.
Keeping siblings together means giving children the stability and connection they deserve.
Our purpose
Why HOME exists
Across the UK, over 6,000 additional foster families are needed to meet demand (The Fostering Network, 2025), with carer numbers in Greater Manchester continuing to fall. In 2023/2024, only 3% of all fostering enquiries progressed to full approval, meaning over 121,000 people were deemed unsuitable.
Local data suggests that access to suitable property equates to around 25% of these enquiries being closed. The result is not only an ethical issue, with children often being inappropriately placed in children’s homes, but also an economic one, costing the public purse up to five times more.
Many people are excluded from becoming foster carers not because they lack the right values, but because they don’t have the right property. The first question any fostering agency asks is, “Do you have a spare bedroom?” In Greater Manchester, around 15% of foster carers live in private rental properties and don’t have the asset or cash wealth to move into a larger home. This exclusion is even more challenging for those under 30, including people looking to move on from their childhood home. Without addressing the physical space available, we regularly exclude incredible, altruistic people from the sector
Why we exist
We are a creative fostering agency working across Greater Manchester to actively support ‘would be Foster carers’ into homes that are safe, welcoming and big enough for brothers and sisters to stay together.
Our mission
Our approach
Building a community: Our agency builds an innovative, responsive community for children and carers. We provide comprehensive support, encourage carers to help each other, and offer staff guidance. With a lower staff-to-carer ratio, we deliver focused support to ensure stability.
Nurturing and inclusive: At HOME, people matter. We support our staff so they can support carers, who in turn provide the best care for children. Everyone should feel they belong and know their contribution is valued.
Trauma Informed approach: We ensure that all our staff and carers have the training and understanding to relate to children in this way. Trauma informed work is fully embedded throughout our model
High Quality Focus: The quality of our services are continually monitored above and beyond OFSTED requirements.
Pre-Application Assessment: We invest time in getting to know families, working in application ‘windows’ to find the most suitable carers for the HOME sibling model.
The right homes
We work with our Foster Carers to support a smooth transition into a secure and suitable home.
We can help to:
Find your HOME
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Working together to find a fantastic HOME - in an area you want to live and grow.
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Making sure that it meets all the requirements to be a great Foster home.
Move into your HOME
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Helping you to complete the 'physical move' - from wherever you lived before.
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Providing assistance to furnish the bedrooms and living spaces ready for children to move in.
Live in your HOME
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Offering financial assistance with the property deposit.
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Providing a generous Carer package that ensures you’ll never need to worry about the rent.
By helping ‘would be’ foster carers into stable, suitable housing, we go beyond removing practical barriers – we’re making the wider availability of larger foster homes a reality.
Our approach reduces the likelihood of siblings being separated and supports children to remain in their home communities.
The HOME model is scalable and, if successful, could be replicated in every local authority in the UK.
Our impact
A thriving community of new foster carers living in larger properties across Greater Manchester, where brothers and sisters live and create memories together.
Our vision.
