Do all fostering services need Ofsted registration?

In England, a fostering service must be registered with Ofsted before it can lawfully operate as a fostering provider. This applies to services run by local authorities and to independent or voluntary fostering organisations. Registration attaches to the organisation providing and managing foster placements; individual foster carers do not apply for separate Ofsted registration.

A fostering service is responsible for recruiting, assessing, approving and supporting foster carers, as well as arranging and monitoring placements. Ofsted’s role is to regulate the service as a whole. This means looking beyond whether individual carers appear suitable and considering whether the provider has the leadership, safeguarding arrangements, staffing, supervision, training and records needed to protect children.

The registration process normally requires the provider to demonstrate that it can meet the relevant fostering regulations and national minimum standards. Ofsted may consider matters such as:

• the suitability and experience of the responsible individual, registered manager and other senior staff;
• the service’s statement of purpose and proposed operating arrangements;
• recruitment procedures, including identity, employment history, references and criminal record checks;
• safeguarding policies and procedures for responding to allegations, incidents and complaints;
• how foster carers will be assessed, approved, trained, supervised and reviewed;
• arrangements for matching children with carers and monitoring their welfare;
• staffing levels, qualifications, management oversight and access to professional advice; and
• the organisation’s ability to keep accurate records and operate in a financially and legally responsible way.

Ofsted may impose conditions on a provider’s registration. Conditions can restrict the type of fostering it may undertake, the number or age range of children it can place, or other aspects of its operation. A provider must work within those conditions. Operating outside them, or providing a fostering service without registration, can lead to enforcement action.

Ofsted registration is not the same as approval as a foster carer. Someone applying to foster applies through a local authority or fostering agency. That provider carries out the assessment, including household checks, references, health information, DBS checks, training and a home assessment. The provider then makes a recommendation about approval to its fostering panel, with the final decision made by the agency decision-maker. Ofsted regulates the provider’s process; it does not approve each carer directly.

There are also arrangements that should not be confused with a registered fostering service. For example, private fostering is an arrangement in which a child is cared for by someone who is not a close relative or a legal guardian, usually for an extended period. The local authority must be notified and has safeguarding responsibilities, but the private foster carer is not an Ofsted-registered fostering service. Similarly, an informal family arrangement or a child arrangements order is not automatically a fostering placement.

The regulator depends on where the service operates. Ofsted regulates fostering services in England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own inspection and registration systems, so an organisation operating in another UK nation may be accountable to a different regulator. Registration should therefore be checked against the relevant nation and the provider’s actual legal identity.

Registration also does not mean that a service has permanent approval or that every placement will be suitable. Registered providers remain subject to inspection and monitoring. Ofsted can require improvements, impose restrictions, take enforcement action or cancel registration where a service no longer meets the required standards. A provider’s inspection history can therefore be more informative than registration alone.

Before applying to foster through an organisation, check that:

• the organisation appears on the relevant regulator’s current register;
• its registered name matches the name used in its information and application documents;
• its latest inspection report is available and you understand the findings;
• it is registered for the type of fostering it offers; and
• it can explain who will assess, approve, supervise and support you as a foster carer.

If a provider cannot be found on the appropriate register, or its registration details do not match the service being offered, seek clarification before sharing personal information or beginning an application. A local authority children’s services department or the relevant regulator can help explain whether an arrangement falls within fostering regulation.