Can I speak to existing foster carers before choosing an agency?

Speaking to existing foster carers can help you assess whether an agency’s everyday practice matches what it explains during an enquiry. A current carer can describe how fostering affects household routines, relationships and decision-making, while the agency remains responsible for giving you accurate information about the assessment and approval process.

Ask the agency whether it can introduce you to a foster carer whose circumstances are reasonably similar to yours. For example, you may want to speak to someone who fosters alongside employment, has children at home, lives alone, or cares for a particular age group. One conversation will not represent every fostering experience, so it is sensible to ask whether you can hear more than one perspective.

Before the conversation, prepare questions that invite specific answers rather than general reassurance. You could ask:

• What changed most in your household after you began fostering?
• How are fostering decisions discussed with people in your home?
• What practical arrangements have been important, such as transport, space, school routines or contact arrangements?
• How does the agency involve you when a placement is being considered?
• What happens when a placement does not fit the information you were given?
• How are concerns, disagreements or difficult incidents dealt with?
• What records and professional communication are part of your role?
• What do you wish you had understood before starting your assessment?

Pay attention to whether the answers are specific and balanced. A useful conversation should acknowledge both the responsibilities and the rewards of fostering. Be cautious if you are encouraged to expect a particular type of placement, income or outcome, because fostering arrangements depend on the child’s needs, your approval and the information available at the time.

There are important limits to what an existing carer can discuss. Confidentiality means they should not identify children or share private details about their histories, health, education or family relationships. They may also have a different supervising social worker, placement history or household structure from yours. Treat their experience as one source of evidence, not as a substitute for reading the agency’s written information and asking its staff for clear explanations.

You can also ask how foster carers contribute to the agency beyond individual placements. For example, find out whether carers are invited to share feedback, take part in consultation, support newer carers or raise concerns through a formal process. This can indicate how the agency listens to carers and learns from their experience, although you should still ask staff how those arrangements operate.

After speaking with a carer, compare what you heard with the agency’s answers about assessment, approval, safeguarding, household expectations and financial arrangements. Write down any differences and ask the agency to clarify them before applying. You are not expected to decide on the basis of one conversation; the purpose is to build a fuller picture so that your choice is informed and realistic.