We get a lot of inquiries from foster carers and people asking about becoming a foster carer, and a common concern is whether to use a fostering agency or foster directly with your local authority.

Independent Fostering Agencies

Local authorities used to struggle with the demands of placing children in good homes, they had to deal with everything from supporting the child, the family as well as recruiting a good foster carer to place the child with. This became a struggle for many reasons and many local authorities could not keep up with the demand, finding good homes for the children who needed them.

Due to this shortfall, independent foster agencies were founded to help find foster carers and also place children. Most independent fostering agencies work closely with local authorities and social workers, as well as recruiting their own social workers.

The social workers, foster carers and other staff in independent fostering agencies work as any company does, getting a salary and submitting tax returns. Everything they do is the same as the local authority except one is public sector the other is private sector. Both are monitored by Ofsted and have certain standards to adhere to.

Local Authority Fostering compared to a Foster Agency

Unfortunately, as with most industries, not all areas work in the same way, you can get very good Local Authority set ups and you can get very good Fostering agencies. You can also get some that are not as good.

It is a common misconception that if you use a local authority fostering service you are more likely to get children quickly as they are quicker to be moved into the home, some people also feel that if you use a fostering agency (Private company), they will put money before the well being of the child, neither of these myths are true.

A foster agency can have a wider reach working with a number of local authorities, all close by, and can often help you get a placement. A bad private agency may put money before the well being of the child but this is rare and as they are inspected by Ofsted and have social workers who work closely with foster carers these agencies are easy to spot.

If you are considering fostering it is best to speak to both your local authority and a local fostering agency and see who you feel more comfortable with. These are people you will be speaking to on a regular basis and if you feel happy you will feel happy asking for more support.

What shouold I look for?

When looking at fostering, speak to both your local authority and also your preferred local fostering agencies, have a look at the following;

• Ofsted Reports – these are public records and can tell you a lot about how they operate
• Training schedules – what is their schedule like for the year
• Ask about levels of support – How much support will you get from their social workers, what is there staff turnover of social workers like, will you get to build a relationship with one or one of many?
• Ask about continuity of placements – If you have given up a career to foster you need to know you will be able to home a child quickly and will not be waiting for months in between placements
• Ask for testimonials – ask to speak to current foster carers or read testimonials and case studies of  current and recent placements

Some LA’s have a better ratio of social workers but you may be required to travel further for meetings as they only tend to cover a small area. Some agencies will specialise in teenagers or children with challenging behaviour or special needs, these children often need longer term placements so make sure you have a support system in place for a child that is challenging. Agencies can often negotiate better allowances, but feel free to ask all of these questions a good agency or LA will have no problems answering them.