​Brad Kella’s Fostering Journey | Foster Care Fortnight

​A child comes into care every 20 minutes. Could you be there for them?
Winner of Channel 4’s The Piano, Brad Kella, knows first-hand how powerful foster care can be. Taken into care at the age of seven, Brad was given a safe, loving home by foster parents who supported his dreams – and changed the course of his life. Brad shares his story in a moving new video made by The Fairer Fostering Partnership.
The need has never been greater
Right now, more children and young people need a safe, stable and nurturing home. According to the NSPCC, there were approximately 107,000 looked after children in the UK in 2022/23. In the last five years, the population of looked after children has increased by 8%, from 99,428 to 107,057.

In other words, the number of looked after children is growing faster than that of the UK child population.
7,000 new fostering households are required to provide that care.
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By becoming a foster carer, you could be instrumental in enabling the healing, growth, and eventual resilience in children, empowering them to rediscover their voice and realise their potential.
​“My foster parents were the only people in the world that inspired me, and made me feel like I could go out and achieve anything I wanted.

​When they found out I wanted to find the passion for piano, they pushed it so much and they gave me a feeling of accomplishment every time I’d learned something new, or if I set myself a new challenge.”

– Brad Kella, winner of The Piano 2024
Why foster with a not-for-profit?
​The Fairer Fostering Partnership (FFP) is made up of 18 charitable and not-for-profit fostering providers. Together, we care for over 2,000 children across the UK.
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As a collective, the FFP put children before profit, meaning that any surplus income is reinvested into providing more training, expert guidance and support. FFP member agencies are committed to placing the needs of children and foster carers at the centre of everything they do.

Being fully child-focused and beyond profit brings a number of advantages: 
  • Reinvestment in additional support and training networks and resources mean that foster carers are often better prepared and supported.
  • Matching a young person to a fostering home is based purely on the needs of a child, rather than being informed by corporate targets or returns-on-investment for stakeholders and shareholders.
  • A mission-driven rather than profit-driven approach to foster carer is often in alignment with foster carers who value ethics and a sense of community.
  • Many not-for-profit fostering agencies advocate for systemic change, working to improve the broader foster care system, which is sometimes reinforced by activities such as fundraising or lobbying.
“If I didn’t have my foster parents in my life, it would have been so easy for me to go down the wrong path. I would not be where I am today. I would never have touched the piano if it wasn’t for my foster parents.”

– Brad Kella
Ready to take the first step?
Whether you're just curious or ready to begin your fostering journey, we’re here to help. 

We have member agencies across the UK. Click here to find a not-for-profit fostering agency near you.

A child comes into care every 20 minutes. Could you be there for them?
“If you’re out there thinking about fostering a child, don’t think about it – just do it. Because you’re not just making an impact for that child, you’re making a massive impact for society around you.”

– Brad Kella