Choosing who
you’ll foster with.
Both routes involve assessment, training and approval. The useful question is how the people, support and arrangements would work for your household.
Two ways into the same caring role
A local authority runs a fostering service and has responsibilities for children in its care. An independent fostering agency, such as Fostering Hearts, recruits and supports its own carers and works with placing local authorities.
The child has a local authority social worker. As an agency foster carer, you also have a supervising social worker from the agency. They have different responsibilities and need to work together.
Compare what the support means in practice
| What matters | What to ask |
|---|---|
| Your social worker | Who will supervise me? How will we keep in touch, and who covers absences? |
| Help at difficult times | How do I reach someone outside office hours? What happens after I call? |
| Matching | How will I understand a child’s needs and contribute to the decision? |
| Payments | What is the fee, what is the care allowance, and which expenses are additional? |
| Learning | What preparation and ongoing training are included? How does this fit around care? |
| Local practicalities | Where are visits, training and meetings held? What travel would my role involve? |
Look at the whole arrangement
A larger weekly figure does not tell you what is included or what happens between placements. Ask for the terms in writing, including any enhanced rates, additional expenses and conditions.
Likewise, a short journey to an office does not tell you how responsive support will be. Ask concrete questions about ordinary weeks and more difficult situations.
Where Fostering Hearts fits
We can explain our own support, published payments and independent inspection. We will also want to know what you need from an agency and the care you feel able to offer.
Curious?
That’s enough to start.
Ask us the question that’s been on your mind.
You don’t have to be ready to apply.