My Foster Family

What My Foster Family does

My Foster Family is a Bradford-based not-for-profit organisation, founded in 2019 by CEO Shadim Hussain and operating as part of My Family Group, that recruits and trains foster carers from Muslim and BAME communities in England on behalf of local authority fostering services and independent fostering agencies. Its core service spans three areas: recruitment of foster carers within local Muslim communities, faith and cultural support for foster carers (including the national Foster Friday campaign, monthly webinars, celebration events, gift packs and a buddy programme), and support for fostering teams (faith literacy training, panel members, case advice and learning groups). The organisation reports having supported over 50,000 Muslim families in their fostering journey, with 30+ local authority partnerships and referral relationships with major agencies such as Barnardos, Foster Care Associates and the National Fostering Agency.

The underlying technology footprint is that of a community-led non-profit rather than a technology company: Salesforce is used as the in-house cloud CRM and case management system for applicant data, with Google Analytics for web analytics and Facebook for targeted advertising. The go-to-market motion combines sales-led partnership management with local authorities and agencies, event-driven community engagement (mosque sermons, Iftar events, roundtables, webinars), and community-led relationship building through imams and Muslim community organisations. The organisation is chaired by Sir Martin Narey, former CEO of Barnardo's, and is funded through a combination of grant funding (BCBN), partnership arrangements with public sector and fostering agencies, donations and corporate membership via the Club 50 programme.

Revenue is not publicly disclosed. In March 2022, My Foster Family was combined with sister entities Muslim Foster Network, My Adoption Family UK and Arise Refugees under the My Family Group umbrella, extending the portfolio into adoption peer support, social worker professional development and refugee mentoring. Reported key beneficiary metrics include 3,000+ prospective Muslim foster carers engaged since 2017, 60+ mosques participating in the 2020 Foster Friday campaign, and 2,000+ gift boxes delivered to families with Muslim-heritage children in care by end-2022.

Name

My Foster Family

Legal name

My Foster Family

Website

https://myfosterfamily.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

My Foster Family is a Bradford-based non-profit, founded in 2019, that recruits and trains Muslim and BAME foster carers in England and refers them to local authority fostering services and independent fostering agencies, operating as part of My Family Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foster Care Recruitment and Training Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Foster & Volunteer Network Programs (BPAGAIAF), Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

Keywords

• Foster care recruitment
• BAME community fostering
• Faith literacy training
• Cultural competency training
• Muslim foster carers

Headquarters

HQ city

Bradford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Recruitment Services to Partners: My Foster Family acts as a recruiter to partner foster care services and local authorities. They provide vetted potential foster carers from Muslim and BAME communities to their partners.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

My Foster Family is a not-for-profit recruitment and training organisation that recruits, vets and refers foster carers from Muslim and BAME communities in England to local authorities and independent fostering agencies. It supplements referrals with faith literacy training, cultural support services for foster carers (including monthly Foster Friday webinars, gift packs, and a buddy programme), and dedicated support services for fostering teams (faith-based case advice, training events and panel participation). The organisation operates as part of My Family Group, the UK's only dedicated faith and culturally sensitive fostering recruitment body.

Product overview

My Foster Family is a single, unified service offering recruitment organisation and training specialist services. The core product consists of three interconnected service areas: foster carer recruitment within Muslim/BAME communities, faith and cultural support services for foster carers (including the Foster Friday campaign, webinars, and buddy programme), and support services for fostering teams (including training and panel participation). The organisation also produces research reports including the Annual Roundtable Report and Muslim Fostering Project Report, and runs campaigns such as the Change a Life Campaign and Club 50 Membership Programme. Additional support services include the Adoption Buddy Service and Social Worker Reflective Space Programme, with the Arise Mentoring Schools Programme supporting refugee children. In March 2022, My Foster Family combined with sister organisations Muslim Foster Network, My Adoption Family UK, and Arise Refugees to form My Family Group.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Foster Friday: National campaign raising awareness about fostering within the Muslim community through Friday sermons at mosques
• 100mosques100families Campaign
• Club 50
• Change a Life Campaign
• Hope is Here Campaign

Products and services

• Foster Carer Recruitment Services Recruitment services focused on recruiting foster carers from local Muslim and BAME communities for partner local authorities and fostering agencies, including strengthening community engagement and hosting recruitment events. Designed for UK local authorities and independent fostering agencies that need to expand their pool of culturally and faith-matched foster carers.
• Faith and Cultural Support Services Comprehensive faith and cultural support for Muslim and BAME foster carers, including monthly Foster Friday webinars, celebration events, educational gift packs for religious occasions, guidance documents on Islam and foster care, online faith literacy education, and a buddy programme linking Muslim foster carers. Targeted at Muslim and BAME prospective and existing foster carers.
• Fostering Team Support Services Support services for fostering teams at local authorities and agencies, including email support, faith-based advice on cases, guidance documents, online training events, participation in learning groups, provision of Muslim and BAME panel members, and faith and cultural literacy training with service reviews. Designed for fostering service managers and social workers.
• Adoption Buddy Service Peer support service connecting prospective adopters with individuals who have already completed the adoption process, providing guidance and emotional support throughout the adoption journey. Targeted at Muslim prospective adopters.
• Social Worker Reflective Space Programme Year-long reflective practice programme for adoption sector social workers, providing structured reflective space for professional development and peer learning. Designed for social workers in the adoption sector.
• Arise Mentoring Schools Programme Mentoring programme for refugee children and young people connecting them with volunteer mentors from corporate and institutional partners including Bank of England, Bradford University, NHS and PWC, supporting educational and social integration. Targeted at refugee children in UK schools.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,000 Muslims considering becoming foster carers supported since 2017
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Bradford CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019First local authority partnership started in January 2019 to help recruit foster carers. This was the foundation for My Foster Family's model of supporting local authorities around the UK.
• The Fostering NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in the Muslim Fostering Project led by The Fostering Network in partnership with Mercy Mission UK and funded by Better Communities Business Network (BCBN). Conducted detailed study of barriers to recruiting Muslim foster carers.
• Mercy Mission UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner organisation that launched the Muslim Fostering Project in 2017. Mercy Mission provided initial pioneering work in improving recruitment of carers from minority backgrounds.
• BarnardosmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor fostering charity listed as a partner on the My Foster Family website. Barnardos is one of the UK's largest voluntary organisations working with children and families.
• Brighton & Hove City CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner working with My Foster Family for over a year to actively assist in recruitment of foster carers and support existing carers of Muslim-heritage unaccompanied asylum seeking children.
• Foster Care AssociatesmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent fostering agency listed as a partner. FCA provides fostering services across the UK.
• National Fostering AgencymajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent fostering agency listed as a partner, providing fostering services across the UK.
• Islamic Relief UKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Muslim humanitarian charity listed as a partner, working on humanitarian and community initiatives.
• Muslim Council of BritainminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Muslim umbrella organisation. My Foster Family held an exhibition at MCB's national mosque conference where they launched the 100mosques100families campaign.
• Ramadan Tent ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity organisation that holds Ramadan Tent Project events. Listed as a partner on My Foster Family website.
• Safe PassageminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganisation that works to help unaccompanied child refugees and vulnerable adults find safe, legal routes to sanctuary. Supported House of Lords event for refugee children.
• ECPAT UKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvery Child Protected Against Trafficking UK. My Foster Family was a signatory to ECPAT's letter calling for an end to housing children in hotels. Worked together on advocacy for UASCs.
• Leeds City CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner. Part of the Faith in Fostering project launched in July 2019 alongside Home for Good, Leeds Council, Kirklees Council and York Council.
• Living IslamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered to provide quality Gift Boxes for carers with Muslim Heritage Children in Care for celebrations like Eid.
• Learning RootsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered to provide quality Gift Boxes for carers with Muslim Heritage Children in Care for celebrations like Eid.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Foster Care Associates (FCA): Major UK independent fostering agency and listed My Foster Family partner; a natural counterpart on the placement side of the recruitment funnel.
• The Fostering Network: UK's leading fostering membership and umbrella charity; the original research partner for the Muslim Fostering Project and the closest operating peer to My Foster Family's recruiting and training mandate.
• Home for Good: Faith-based UK charity recruiting foster carers and adopters from church communities; a comparable faith-rooted recruitment model co-launched with My Foster Family on the Faith in Fostering project.
• National Fostering Agency (NFA): Independent fostering agency and listed partner of My Foster Family that delivers fostering placements and could route diverse carer referrals sourced via My Foster Family.
• Active Care Solutions: Listed independent fostering agency partner of My Foster Family that converts referred carer pipelines into active placements.
• Mercy Mission UK: Founding co-sponsor of the Muslim Fostering Project and core strategic partner; a Muslim-led UK charity active in fostering, adoption, and broader community welfare adjacent to My Foster Family's mission.

Broad incumbents

• Barnardo's: One of the UK's largest children's charities and a listed partner of My Foster Family; offers fostering, adoption, and broader children's services at significantly greater scale across the country.
• TACT (The Adolescent and Children's Trust): UK charity operating foster care, adoption, and leaving-care services nationally; provides the wider fostering sector context in which My Foster Family operates.
• Coram (CoramBAAF / Coram's Fields): Long-established UK children's charity whose CoramBAAF arm publishes the annual roundtable report hosted by My Foster Family; an institutional stakeholder and source of comparable sector research.

Emerging players

• New Family Social: UK charity supporting LGBT+ foster carers and adopters; a comparable niche-recruitment model serving an under-represented community, illustrating My Foster Family's specialisation thesis.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Mfosterfamily
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/my-foster-family-uk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about My Foster Family