In February, the Department for Education published its new action plan for fostering in England, “Renewing fostering: homes for 10,000 more children”. Alongside it, they launched a major consultation proposing changes to the role of fostering panels and guidance around allegations. They also issued a wider call for evidence on issues such as financial transparency, a foster care register and DBS checks.
We responded to the consultation and call for evidence on behalf of our members. To ensure our response reflected their views, we consulted with more than 500 foster carers and fostering services. This included targeted focus groups, a members’ survey and in-depth discussions with our National Panel Chair Forum, the national FCA Forum who represent over 14,000 foster carers, our national IFA steering group and Agency Decision Makers (ADMs).
Our response to the consultation
Proposal 1: Amending the role of fostering panels and strengthening quality assurance standards within the assessment process
From the extensive consultation with members the message was clear - while the assessment process absolutely needs improving, fostering panels should not be removed.
Members consistently highlighted the role panels play in keeping children safe by ensuring rigorous decision making in the approval process. There were concerns that the loss of the independent view and multiagency perspective that panels bring would weaken safeguarding. This is because panels use their experience and professional judgement to identify potential risks or gaps that may not have been identified during previous parts of the assessment. There were also concerns that the workload would be too much for ADMs and they would lose the confidence and quality assurance process that a panel gives.
Foster carers also shared that while the panel experience can be nerve wracking, it can also be deeply validating - for some it is one of the only moments where their strengths and commitment to fostering are recognised.
However, members also acknowledged that the current panel system is not perfect. Some felt panels can be resource-heavy, and occasionally contribute to delays, though most emphasised these delays are usually caused by external checks, not the panel itself. Others felt the process does not always capture the reality of whole family life, something vital when assessing long term suitability.
We recommend that rather than removing the requirement for panels, the Government should:
- Introduce clear recruitment standards with defined timescales.
- Replace DBS checks with more time-efficient Police National Computer (PNC)checks or utilise the DBS update system.
- Create a national standardised approach to foster carer medicals that allows assessments to be carried out by nurses or nurse practitioners within the GP practice, digitalising the form and reviewing the role of the medical advisor.
You can read our full response here.
Proposal 2: Improving the handling of allegations and standards of care concerns
Overall, our members view the proposal to update standards and guidance to increase support, transparency and fairness for foster carers and children in care as a much-needed step forward to improving what can be an incredibly difficult process.
There was strong support for several elements of the proposals including:
- Expanding independent, emotional and practical support for foster carers.
- Strengthening the voice of children.
Adopting a more holistic approach when considering the removal of a child. - Improving access to clear information and regular updates.
- Setting expectations for fostering services to provide specific training on allegations.
However, members also felt that the proposal fell short in several key areas. In particular, they highlighted the need for clearer, more consistent processes, a stronger emphasis on proportionate responses, improved training for social workers and other members of the foster team, the introduction of a post investigation reflective session and even greater support for foster carers. They also highlighted the importance of speeding up the police process as much as possible.
With these gaps in mind, we recommended that the Government should:
- Increase awareness and understanding of the impact allegations can have on fostering families among partners in justice, health, education and children’s services.
- Providing training and improved joint working processes will help reduce avoidable delay and improve outcomes for children.
- Fund services to continue paying foster carer fees during vacancies, including when these are due to allegation investigations.
- Fund independent support services and legal protection for foster carers experiencing an allegation.
We also believe services should:
- Clearly distinguish between allegations, complaints and standard of care concerns.
- Provide all foster carers subject to an allegation with access to independent support, legal support, specialist counselling support, and support for their wider families. Ensure foster carers are aware of the support available to them, including from external sources.
- Offer a post investigation reflective review in all cases.
You can read our full response here.
Our response to the call for evidence
The call for evidence sought information and data on several areas where there are no firm proposals yet, but the feedback gathered will help shape future Government proposals on fostering.
Financial transparency
While greater financial transparency has clear benefits such as creating fairness and consistency across services, members felt it would not, on its own, improve recruitment and retention. Without strengthening the overall financial package for foster carers, including measures such as council tax relief or introducing a national fee framework, its impact would likely be limited.
Introducing a national register of foster carers
Most members were supportive of a national register to improve portability, safeguarding, matching and professionalisation. However, they stressed that it must be managed by a fully independent body, hold only essential information, and operate with strict controls over who can access it. They also would like it to go further than Government proposals and function as a professional registration body or regulator.
Amending the fostering limit
We strongly recommend retaining the statutory three-child fostering limit, as it provides essential safeguard for both foster carers and children. Removing the limit risks creating situations where foster carers feel pressured either directly or indirectly by their fostering service to accept more children than they can safely or sustainably care for.
DBS checks and vetting for prospective foster carers
Services have reported that there are currently widespread inconsistencies and delays in DBS checks, with key safeguarding information often missing compared to PNC checks. Current DBS filtering and disclosure arrangements are seen as inadequate for safeguarding, prompting calls for clearer national guidance and routine PNC checks for all carers.
Read our full response here.
Next steps
The Government will now be analysing the submissions and their response is expected in the early summer. We know there will be further consultations on updating the fostering standards and guidance in the coming months and we will hold similar consultations with members on these.
