Will my fostering assessment need repeating when changing agencies?

A completed fostering assessment is normally used as the foundation when you move to another agency, rather than being started again from the beginning. However, the new agency must satisfy itself that the assessment is accurate, up to date and sufficient for it to approve and support you under its own procedures.

What the new agency will review

With your consent, the new agency will usually request relevant records from your current agency. These may include your Form F or assessment report, references, identity and household checks, medical information, training records, panel documents, approval terms and details of any children currently placed with you.

The assessing social worker will consider how the assessment reached its conclusions, whether it covered the types of placements you want to offer and whether the information still reflects your household. You may be asked to discuss your experience, safeguarding knowledge, support network, household routines and reasons for transferring. This is generally a review and validation process, not an automatic repeat of every interview.

When further assessment work may be needed

A new agency may ask for additional interviews, evidence or checks where information is missing, has become outdated or needs clarification. Further work is more likely if:

• your household composition, relationship, health, employment, finances or accommodation has changed;
• a new adult has joined the household or a household member’s circumstances have changed;
• you want to care for a different age group, a larger number of children or children with more complex needs;
• your previous assessment did not cover the placement type you are now considering;
• there has been a significant event, allegation, complaint or safeguarding concern since the assessment;
• checks, references or medical information are no longer current; or
• the new agency cannot obtain enough information to make a safe and properly evidenced decision.

The purpose is to identify whether your approval remains appropriate and what support, training or placement plan would be needed. Additional work does not necessarily mean there is a problem with your original assessment.

If you are already an approved foster carer

Where an approved foster carer transfers, the agencies normally coordinate the movement of records and information so that important details are not lost. The new agency will review your approval status, terms of approval, training and development record, supervision history and placement information. It may also need to complete its own checks before confirming that it can accept responsibility for you.

Your approval terms matter because they describe the type and number of children you are approved to care for. A new agency may discuss these with you and decide whether they remain suitable. Any proposed change should be explained clearly and considered through the agency’s required decision-making process, which may involve fostering panel arrangements.

If you are still being assessed

Changing agency before approval can be more complicated. The new agency will decide how much of the work completed so far it can rely on. It may accept parts of the existing assessment, ask for outstanding evidence or repeat certain interviews and checks so that the application meets its own requirements. The closer the assessment is to completion, the more useful the existing records may be, but this does not guarantee that every part will transfer unchanged.

Before ending your involvement with the current agency, ask the prospective agency to explain how it will handle your application and which documents it needs. It is sensible to clarify:

• whether it will request the assessment file directly or ask you to provide information;
• which checks, references, medical information and training records need updating;
• whether any parts of the assessment will need to be repeated;
• how the transfer will affect the expected timescale for your application or approval; and
• what happens to any children placed with you, if you are already fostering.

Be open about changes since the original assessment. Providing accurate information at the outset helps the new agency identify what can be transferred and what needs further consideration. A fostering agency should explain each additional requirement and why it is necessary, rather than leaving you to guess whether a full reassessment is taking place.

Become A Foster Family can talk through the transfer process, the information likely to be requested and the circumstances that may lead to further assessment work. Its regional teams support people considering fostering and existing foster carers through decisions about changing agencies.