What are the main reasons for transferring fostering agencies?

The main reasons for transferring fostering agencies are usually a significant change in the carer’s needs, the agency’s way of working, or the type of fostering arrangement being considered. A transfer may be appropriate when the current agency is no longer a good practical fit, but it should be based on clear information rather than a single difficult conversation or isolated disagreement.

• The agency’s policies or structure have changed. A merger, service redesign, change of ownership or alteration to the fostering model can affect how carers are supervised and supported. You may decide to transfer if the revised arrangements no longer suit your household, particularly if the change affects decision-making, training, placement planning or contact with your supervising social worker.
• You want to foster a different type of placement. Some carers begin with one type of fostering and later consider other arrangements, such as sibling groups, teenagers, parent-and-child placements, short-term care or more specialist placements. A different agency may have a service that is better aligned with the training, experience and practical arrangements needed for that role.
• Your development needs are not being met. Foster carers are expected to maintain their skills through training, supervision and continued learning. If you need a clearer development plan, more relevant courses or better guidance for a particular placement, this may lead you to investigate another agency. Consider whether the issue can be resolved through a review of your training plan before deciding to transfer.
• You have concerns about professional boundaries or decision-making. Foster carers need to understand who makes decisions, how disagreements are handled and how concerns are escalated. Repeated uncertainty about roles, inconsistent advice or a lack of confidence in the way important decisions are reached can be a reason to look at alternative arrangements. Keep a factual record of the issue and ask the agency to explain its complaints or review process.
• The agency can no longer provide the arrangement you need. An agency may change the placement types it accepts, the areas in which it works or the services available to its carers. This can become relevant if your household is ready for a different fostering commitment or if the agency is unable to consider the kind of placement you are prepared to offer.
• There has been a serious breakdown in the working relationship. Fostering involves regular professional communication, recording, meetings and joint planning. A lasting breakdown in trust can make it difficult to work constructively, even where the original disagreement was relatively small. Before transferring, distinguish between a relationship that can be repaired through mediation or a formal review and a pattern that is unlikely to improve.
• You are responding to a major change in the agency’s circumstances. If an agency closes, loses the ability to provide fostering services or makes other substantial operational changes, carers may need to identify a new agency to protect continuity. In these situations, ask how records, approvals, placements and financial arrangements will be managed, rather than assuming that information will move automatically.

Financial considerations can also influence a decision. Allowances, fees, payment arrangements and additional support vary between agencies and may change over time. They should be compared carefully, because the highest advertised payment is not necessarily the most suitable arrangement. Check what each payment covers, whether it depends on the type or circumstances of a placement, and which costs remain the foster carer’s responsibility.

A transfer should not be used to avoid safeguarding enquiries, reviews, allegations, complaints or other professional processes. Relevant information must be shared between the agencies involved, and an agency will need to understand your fostering history before deciding whether it can take over your approval. Being open about difficulties is important for protecting children and ensuring that any new assessment is accurate.

Before choosing to transfer, write down the specific problems you are trying to resolve and the changes you need from a new agency. Ask prospective agencies about supervision, out-of-hours procedures without assuming that every service operates in the same way, training, placement planning, fees, recording requirements, complaints and the handling of existing placements. You should also understand whether your approval will need to be reviewed and how the transition will be coordinated with the relevant professionals.

In practice, the strongest reason for transferring is a demonstrable mismatch between what you need to foster safely and effectively and what your current agency can reasonably provide. Comparing the proposed arrangements in detail, while maintaining openness with your current agency and the professionals involved, will help you make a decision based on the welfare of the child as well as your own circumstances.