Who makes the final foster care approval decision?

In UK fostering, the final stage is a formal suitability decision based on the completed assessment, the fostering panel’s recommendation and any information provided by you. The decision-maker must consider the evidence carefully rather than simply approve every recommendation automatically.

Before this stage, your assessing social worker prepares an assessment report covering matters such as your identity and background checks, health, household circumstances, relationships, experience of caring for children, understanding of fostering and ability to work with professionals. You should have the opportunity to read the report and comment on factual inaccuracies before it is presented to the panel.

The fostering panel considers whether you meet the required standard to foster and what approval terms would be appropriate. Its recommendation may address:

• whether you are suitable to foster;
• the number of children you can care for;
• the age range and gender of children who may be placed with you;
• whether you can offer specific types of care, such as sibling, emergency or parent-and-child placements; and
• any circumstances or conditions that should be recorded in your approval.

The Agency Decision Maker then considers the full assessment evidence, panel paperwork and your comments. The decision is normally one of three outcomes: approval on specified terms, a request for further information before a decision is made, or a decision not to approve you. A request for further information is sometimes described as a deferral. It does not necessarily mean that your application has failed; it means that the available evidence is not yet sufficient for a final conclusion.

If you are approved, the fostering service confirms your approval terms in writing. These terms define the type of placements for which you have been assessed and approved. They are important because they guide future placement decisions and help ensure that any child placed with you can be cared for safely within your experience, skills and household circumstances.

Approval is not the same as receiving a placement. After approval, the fostering service considers whether a proposed placement is suitable for you, your household and the child. This involves looking at the child’s needs, the information available about the placement, practical arrangements and the impact on everyone already living in your home.

If the decision is not to approve you, the fostering service should give you written reasons and explain the procedure for making representations or requesting a review. The precise route depends on whether you applied through a local authority fostering service or an independent fostering agency. You should read the decision letter carefully, note any deadlines and ask your agency to explain the next steps if anything is unclear.

The approval decision can be reconsidered later if your circumstances change or new information becomes available, but this is not an automatic process. Approval terms may also be reviewed or changed through the fostering service’s formal procedures. Regular reviews are used to consider your ongoing suitability, training, support and the experience of any children placed with you.

Ofsted regulates fostering services in England, but it does not decide whether an individual applicant should be approved. The decision is made within the fostering service using the statutory assessment and panel process. If you are unsure about a recommendation, a proposed approval term or the reasons for a decision, discuss the assessment report and decision letter with your fostering service before signing or accepting anything.