What support do independent foster carers receive?

Independent foster carers are supported by the independent fostering agency that approved them. The agency normally provides a supervising social worker, structured supervision, placement planning, safeguarding advice and access to relevant services, while the child’s local authority remains responsible for the child’s statutory care plan and looked-after child reviews.

Support should be set out clearly in the agency’s policies, foster carer handbook and individual placement arrangements. It is not limited to the approval assessment. Once a child is placed, the agency continues to monitor the fostering household, help the carer work within the agreed plan and respond to issues that may affect the placement.

• A named supervising social worker: The supervising social worker is the main professional link between the carer and the agency. They usually arrange supervision meetings and visits, review the carer’s records, discuss progress and identify any further support required. They can also help the carer prepare for meetings with the child’s social worker, school or other professionals.
• Placement planning: Before or at the start of a placement, the agency should help clarify the child’s routines, known needs, relationships, contact arrangements, delegated authority and expectations for the household. This gives the carer a practical framework for day-to-day decisions and makes clear which matters must be referred to the child’s social worker or another professional.
• Safeguarding and incident advice: Foster carers receive guidance on recognising and recording concerns, responding to allegations, managing disclosures and reporting significant incidents. The agency should explain its escalation procedure, including who must be informed, what information should be recorded and how confidentiality is protected. Allegations against foster carers are handled through formal safeguarding procedures rather than by the carer alone.
• Help with complex behaviour and relationships: An agency may help carers understand behaviour in the context of trauma, disrupted attachments, loss or previous experiences. Support can include planning consistent responses, considering safer routines, preparing for difficult conversations and coordinating advice from education, health or therapeutic professionals where appropriate.
• Support for the whole household: Fostering affects everyone who lives in the home. Supervision may therefore consider the impact of placements on a partner, birth children and other household members, as well as the foster carer’s own capacity and wellbeing. The agency may help the household review boundaries, privacy, safer caring arrangements and changes needed as a child’s circumstances develop.
• Peer and community support: Some agencies arrange foster carer meetings, support groups, mentoring or opportunities to share practical experience with other approved carers. Peer support can help carers learn how others manage everyday matters, although it does not replace professional advice or safeguarding procedures.
• Reviews and development: The agency keeps records of supervision, significant events, training needs and progress against agreed actions. Foster carers normally take part in a formal annual review of their approval and practice. This is an opportunity to consider what has gone well, whether the approval terms remain suitable and what changes may be needed before the next placement.

The agency and the placing local authority have different responsibilities. The agency supervises and supports the foster carer, monitors the standards of care and reports relevant information. The child’s social worker and local authority remain responsible for decisions about the child’s care plan, statutory reviews, education and wider looked-after-child arrangements. Effective support depends on these professionals sharing information appropriately and agreeing who will take action.

Foster carers should expect to know how to raise a concern, report a safeguarding matter, request additional help and make a complaint if they believe support is inadequate. They should also keep accurate records, attend agreed meetings, follow safer-care guidance and tell the agency about significant changes in the household or a child’s circumstances. The exact structure varies between agencies, so prospective carers should ask how supervision is arranged, what support is available during a placement, how professional advice is accessed and how the agency supports carers when a child’s needs become more complex.