Agency v Local Authority?
I am often asked if it is better to foster for the local authority (LA) or an independent fostering agency. Once upon a time there were no independent agencies and all children who came into care were placed ‘in house’, that is, with a foster carer recruited by the local authority. For various reasons the LAs couldn’t match supply with demand - they couldn’t recruit or keep enough foster carers to look after all the children they were bringing into care so independent agencies sprang up to take up the shortfall.
