What should I ask a foster agency about its support?

The best questions about a foster agency’s support are specific, practical and focused on what will happen at each stage of fostering. Ask the agency to explain who will support you, how that support is recorded and reviewed, what you are expected to do, and where to seek guidance when a decision or situation is complex.

Ask how support is organised. Find out which members of the fostering team are involved after approval and what each person is responsible for. You may want to ask:

• Who will be my supervising social worker?
• Who provides support if my usual worker is unavailable?
• How will information be shared between the agency, the child’s social worker, education professionals and other relevant services?
• How will important decisions, advice and agreed actions be recorded?
• How often will my support arrangements be reviewed?

A clear answer should describe a structured process rather than simply promising that help will be available. Ask whether you will receive written information explaining the agency’s support arrangements and your responsibilities as a foster carer.

Ask what support looks like in practice. Agencies may use supervision meetings, telephone advice, visits, training, written guidance and group discussions. Ask how these different forms of support fit together and what issues should be discussed through each one. It is also reasonable to ask how the agency identifies whether your household needs additional guidance, training or specialist input.

Ask how your support plan is developed. A useful plan should take account of your experience, skills, household circumstances and the needs of any child placed with you. It should not be treated as a fixed document: your circumstances and a child’s needs can change, so ask how updates are agreed and documented.

Ask how the agency handles professional disagreements. Fostering involves several people and organisations, and their views will not always be identical. Ask:

• How will I be involved when professionals are considering a significant decision?
• Who explains the reasons for a decision to me?
• How can I ask for a decision to be reviewed?
• What support is available if I disagree with a proposed plan for a child?
• How will the agency help me communicate concerns appropriately?

This helps you understand whether the agency treats foster carers as informed members of the professional network while keeping the child’s welfare central.

Ask about practical guidance and record keeping. Foster carers usually need to keep accurate records about a child’s care, appointments, behaviour, incidents and communication with professionals. Ask what records are required, how they should be stored, who can access them and how the agency will help you understand confidentiality and information-sharing responsibilities.

You can also ask how the agency supports carers with everyday decisions, including routines, contact arrangements, school communication, transport, health appointments and activities. The answer should make clear which decisions you can make as a foster carer and which require agreement from the child’s social worker, birth family, the agency or another authority.

Ask how support is reviewed after a placement begins. Before accepting a placement, ask how the agency checks that the proposed arrangement remains suitable once the child is living with you. Questions could include:

• How will the agency gather my views about how the placement is progressing?
• How can I raise a concern if the child’s needs appear different from the information provided before placement?
• How will changes in the child’s education, health, contact arrangements or behaviour be addressed?
• How will the agency decide whether further assessment, training or specialist advice is needed?

These questions focus on whether support is responsive and whether the agency learns from the information you provide.

Ask about support for the wider household. Fostering affects everyone who lives in the home, including birth children and other adults. Ask how the agency will help household members understand confidentiality, boundaries, behaviour and their own role. Find out how their views can be raised safely if fostering is affecting family relationships, routines or wellbeing.

Ask about independent help and complaints. A responsible agency should be able to explain its complaints procedure, safeguarding reporting route and arrangements for independent advice. Ask:

• How do I make a formal complaint?
• Who can I speak to if my concern involves my supervising social worker?
• How will I be protected from being treated unfairly for raising a concern?
• Where can I obtain independent advice about my rights and responsibilities?
• How are complaints, allegations and safeguarding concerns managed and recorded?

Do not rely only on verbal reassurance. Ask to see the relevant policy or written procedure so that you understand the stages involved and the people who may need to be informed.

Ask how the agency demonstrates the quality of its support. You can ask what feedback is collected from foster carers, how learning from reviews is used and how the agency monitors the consistency of its practice. You may also ask to speak with foster carers about their general experience, subject to privacy and consent. The agency should respect confidentiality and must not disclose information about individual children or placements.

Before applying, write down the answers and note anything that remains unclear. Compare what the agency says with the written information it provides, including its policies, agreements and support plans. The most useful answers will explain the process, identify the people involved and show how your views will be recorded and acted upon. If an answer is vague, ask for an example of how the agency handled a similar type of support issue without asking for confidential details.