The Fostering Network is calling for the introduction of a national register of foster carers in each of the four nations of the UK.
The issue
The Fostering Network believes that the introduction of a register of foster carers in each nation of the UK – something we have long called for – would address four key issues in the fostering system:
- The need to increase the status of foster carers in the team around the child.
- The difficulty of foster carers moving from one service to another.
- The need for more robust safeguarding measures in the fostering sector.
- The need to improve matching of children and foster carers.
We believe that a national register of foster carers in each nation is an essential first step to achieving an improvement in foster carers' terms and conditions. It would increase the portability of foster carers and increase public protection by providing a central list of all who meet, and continue to meet, the requirements of being an approved foster carer. It could also provide placing authorities with information on the number of local fostering households with vacancies, including those with independent fostering providers, allowing authorities to make matches more quickly at a local level.
Status
We believe a national register of foster carers in each nation would improve the formal status of foster carers, allowing the role to be more recognised and valued within the sector and by the general public. It would also bring foster carers in line with other parts of the children’s care sector who are registered and regulated. We also believe making it easier for foster carers to move services would help drive up standards in terms of the support, training and respect given to foster carers. In line with other parts of the children’s care sector, the introduction of a register would need to go hand in hand with an accredited pre- and post-approval training framework.
Portability
In order to foster, an individual or members of the household who are ‘sharing the care’ of the child have to be assessed and approved by a registered fostering service. These can be local authorities or trusts, or independent fostering providers.
While foster carers are self-employed for taxation purposes, they can only foster for one fostering service at a time (except in Scotland under certain circumstances). Moving to another fostering service usually requires foster carers to fully repeat the approval and assessment process, which severely reduces their portability. Transfer protocols, which are currently non-enforceable, are in place in parts of the UK but foster carers report difficulties in moving between fostering services, especially when children are in placement.
In The Fostering Network’s State of the Nation 2019 report, the majority of respondents (80 per cent) had never moved to another fostering service. Only seven per cent of foster carers had moved to another service with an additional two per cent in the process of moving. Of those foster carers who had moved or were in the process of moving, 93 per cent had to re-do the approval process. Significantly, 11 per cent of respondents had wanted to move but had not moved for a variety of reasons, including concerns about disrupting the child’s current placement, and the overly bureaucratic transfer process which means they could be without children and income for a significant period.
A national register would greatly enhance the portability of foster carers by providing a national licensing approach in each nation. When a foster carer decided to move to another fostering service, the new service would be able to carry out a simple check of the national register to confirm their approval status and then would only need to carry out local checks and interviews. This system would be less bureaucratic, reducing duplication and delays. It would also place appropriate decisions with the fostering service – deciding if the carer met the needs of their service rather than making decisions on suitability to foster which have already been ascertained through the approval process. It could also aid in retaining good quality foster carers which is important considering that there is a nation-wide shortage.
Safeguarding
In addition to the difficulty some foster carers experience when moving between fostering services, there is a wider issue which is ensuring that foster carers can be prevented from carrying out the role of a foster carer if there are issues which question their suitability to foster. A national register would prevent carers who have had their approval removed from moving around from one area to another.
We believe the fostering service should be responsible for making local decisions, but should not be making decisions about a foster carer’s continued suitability to foster; rather, they should make a referral on suitability to a central body. If there were a national register of approved foster carers in each nation, then individuals could be removed following unsuitability decisions. In the absence of either a national list of approved foster carers, or of those found to be unsuitable (other than, for example, the DBS Barred List in England and Wales), there is no centrally held information on those individuals who are suitable or unsuitable to foster, which presents a safeguarding concern.
Matching
Through a national register, placing authorities could be given access to information on the number of fostering households with vacancies for children in their local area, including those with independent fostering providers and in neighbouring local authorities. This would allow them to make matches more quickly at a local level and ultimately reduce out of area placements.
We do not believe matching should be done at a national level or entirely through a register, but rather, the information in a register would support improved local matching.
What we are calling for
- We believe that a national register of foster carers in each nation of the UK is an essential first step to achieving an improvement in foster carers' terms and conditions, ensuring they are recognised as key members of the team around the child.
- A register would increase foster carers' portability, allowing them to transfer to a new service without repeating the assessment and approval process from the beginning.
- The registration body would make final decisions on a foster carer's continued suitability to remain on the register. Fostering services could check that any individual applying to foster for their service was not listed on the register as unsuitable to foster, improving safeguarding for children.
- The register could also improve matching by allowing placing authorities to see how many local fostering households have vacancies at any given time, including those with independent fostering providers in their area.
- We believe that the recruitment, assessment and approval of foster carers should remain local and regional activities, based on local needs analysis and strong commissioning frameworks, and do not believe these should be centralised under a national register.
To share your views about the introduction of national registers and The Fostering Network's approach outlined above, please email [email protected].