Earlier this year, the Scottish Government held a wide-ranging consultation on the future of foster care to inform the strategic direction of their work on fostering, including through the new Children's Bill.
This month, the analysis of the consultation responses was published, demonstrating the appetite for change among the fostering community in Scotland.
About the consultation
The consultation was held over three months and responses were received from 55 individuals and 45 organisations. We facilitated engagement sessions to support foster carers to share their views, and submitted a written response.
The analysis shows that respondents welcomed the Scottish Government’s vision for the future of fostering, including the flexible fostering approach, although many questioned how it will be delivered within current resourcing constraints. Many areas of the consultation analysis provide support for changes we’ve long been campaigning for alongside our foster carer members, and we’re glad to see some of these included in the new Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill, but others are missing.
Findings on a register
The consultation asked respondents’ views on introducing a register for foster carers and found broad support for this, with most respondents agreeing it should have a role in national matching.
We were pleased to see a pilot for a register for foster carers included in the bill. We believe a register would significantly benefit children and foster carers, increasing the likelihood that children are matched with the right carers and experience greater stability. However, before a pilot is initiated, we would like to see more detail on how it would work, who would hold it and ensure there are safeguards in place so it can be properly evaluated before a register is rolled out nationally.
Findings on financial support for foster carers
The consultation analysis found that financial support for foster carers is too low:
- Only 14% of respondents said they feel the current financial model for foster carers is effective
- 82% agreed there should be a national approach to fostering fees and additional payments
- 92% felt foster carers should receive retainers when they do not have a child or young person placed with them
- 96% agreed there should be a national approach to continuing care allowances.
This echoes evidence gathered in our 2024 State of the Nations’ Foster Care survey, which showed that most foster carers in Scotland find their allowances and fees inadequate and believe the government should introduce a national fee framework.
It is therefore concerning that the issue of foster carer finances is entirely absent from the new Children’s Bill, and there has still been no clear communication about any uplift to the Scottish Recommended Allowance (SRA) for 2025-26.
The Scottish Government must urgently increase the SRA to meet children and young people’s needs, and must use the bill to create a statutory annual uprating duty on the SRA and make provisions for a national fee framework for foster carers. We will continue lobbying to achieve these changes and seek to have amendments made to the bill to address these.
Requiring IFAs to be charities
The analysis also found that 84% of respondents agreed that independent fostering agencies (IFAs) should have charitable status. This reinforces Scotland’s support for the principle in The Promise that there is no place for profit in the care of our most vulnerable children and young people.
The requirement for IFAs to be registered charities in the bill is welcome. We will work with our IFA members who are not currently registered as charities to ensure they are supported to make this transition, avoiding disruption for children and families.
Support for new guidance for foster carers on key areas
The consultation analysis found strong support for the development or revision of guidance to help foster carers carry out their role. It reported that:
- 83% of respondents agreed that a new learning and development framework for foster carers is needed
- 86% agreed that further guidance would be helpful to support foster carers to make everyday decisions on behalf of children in their care
- 91% agreed that the Scottish Government should update its guidance on managing allegations against foster carers
We believe the guidance and L&D framework must be statutory to ensure they are implemented consistently across Scotland and to improve foster carer retention and recruitment. We look forward to engaging with the Scottish Government on the development of these and will seek to create further opportunities for our members to contribute to this work.
Next steps
We hope those who took part in the consultation are encouraged by how clearly the analysis reflects many of your views, frustrations, and hopes for the future of foster care.
Your voices have been heard – now it’s time for the Scottish Government to act. We’re pleased that some of the changes we, and you, called for have been included in the Children’s Bill, but there are still some key areas missing. We’ll be reaching out to Members of the Scottish Parliament to discuss the changes we want to see to the bill as it progresses. We’re also working on our response to the call for evidence on the bill.
We urge the Scottish Government to address any issues that are not included in the bill through a national fostering strategy. This will be crucial to ensure the consultation findings are progressed and help foster care fulfil its role in keeping the Promise by 2030.
Read the analysis of the future of foster care consultation here.
