So, you’ve thought about it carefully and talked it through with those close to you, and you’ve finally made the decision to start fostering. Fantastic! It is a truly rewarding and life-changing experience for both the child being looked after and the foster carers themselves.

But now you’re faced with even more decisions!

Do you apply to your local authority, or should you contact independent fostering agencies? What’s the difference anyway? What makes a good agency and how do you know what questions to ask?

Annoyingly, the answer is, it depends!  You’ll need to think about what’s most important for you. It’s a two-way relationship and not every agency is the right match for every family.

Although we can’t tell you which fostering agency is the right choice for you (although we hope it’s Tree House Care!), we can share a few of the differences between agencies and suggest some questions you may want to ask.

Local Authority vs. Independent Fostering Agency

All looked-after children are the legal responsibility of the local authority. Unfortunately, local authorities are often stretched and can’t meet the ever-growing demand for places. That’s where agencies like Tree House Care come in. We have relationships with a number of local authorities and they approach us to find families for children they cannot find homes for themselves. There are national minimum standards for fostering services, so both settings offer a high level of care, although there are some differences between them.

Local Authorities

• When a child becomes looked after, the local authority first tries to find a home for them with one of their own carers, before approaching independent fostering agencies. This means that foster carers registered with local authorities are unlikely to have large gaps between placements.
• Local Authorities cover very specific geographical areas and so their foster carers are unlikely to have to travel too far for meetings or training.

Fostering Agencies

• Independent reviews show that foster carers who are registered with agencies generally receive higher allowances and fees; on average about £125 more per child per week. (Foster Care in England, 2018)
• Agencies tend to have a higher ratio of social workers to foster carers, meaning there is more support available when you need it.
• Foster carers often receive a higher standard of training from independent agencies, which may include specialist, therapeutic support and training.
• Children placed through agencies may be older than those placed through the local authority, as it is easier to find local families for babies and toddlers.

How do you decide which agency to apply to?

If you’ve decided that you would like to apply to foster through an independent agency, the next step is to approach the agencies that cover your area.

Some agencies have national coverage which means they place children in homes all over the country. These are likely to be bigger agencies and may be made up of a number of smaller offices.

Large, national agencies benefit from extensive resources and you become part of a large network of foster carers, offering invaluable knowledge and support.

However, the offices may be some distance away from your home and you may lose the personal touch of a local team. Also, many large providers are now owned by private equity firms, which may have a focus on cost-saving or increasing profitability.

Not all independent agencies are large, national companies though; there are many family-style, small agencies that offer a close, personal experience and tailor their support to your particular circumstances. These agencies may be more limited in the services they provide, for example not offering as many different specialisms, such as ‘parent and child’ or fostering children with disability.

Essentially, you need to decide which type of agency you feel most comfortable with and offers the things that matter to you most. After looking at their websites and social media, the next step is to get in touch and start the conversation. They may ask you about your motivations for fostering and will take you through a number of questions to judge your eligibility. Different agencies have different criteria; here at Tree House Care we place a lot of importance on recruiting the right people and so you may find other agencies have more relaxed eligibility criteria. We’re not looking to recruit as many carers as possible, we have high recruitment standards that translate into high levels of care for our children.