Fostering Agency vs Local Authority: Is It Time to Transfer?

Why move to an independent fostering agency?

Have you been fostering with your local authority (LA) for a while, but feel like you aren’t receiving the financial recognition, support and training you deserve? Then it might be time to switch to an independent fostering agency (IFA).

But what is the difference between fostering with an agency like ISP and your local authority? From helping the most vulnerable young people in care to receiving a bigger fostering allowance and more support, join us as we explore five reasons to transfer to an IFA.

5 reasons to transfer to an independent fostering agency

We know that deciding to leave your current fostering service provider isn’t a decision you’ll take lightly. However, you want to make sure that you’re getting what you need and more to transform a child’s life – and to also progress in your fostering career. This means considering both sides of the coin and exploring the benefits of fostering with an IFA.

1) Helping the most vulnerable young people

Typically speaking, the children placed with LA foster parents are young and don’t require as much specialist care. This leaves older children and teenagers with traumatic, abusive, or neglectful pasts without the security of a loving home. They need this to grow into healthy, happy young adults. That’s where private fostering agencies like ISP come in.

At ISP, due to the extensive training and support we offer foster parents, we can match these children with families who know how to meet their needs. As a therapeutic foster parent with ISP, you’ll learn how to understand their trauma, see past their behaviour, and help them work towards making positive changes.

When you foster children who’ve had such difficult starts and help them through the other side, it’s an incredible feeling to know you’ve made such a difference.

Download our transfer guide

We can fast-track your assessment in 12 weeks, so you can enjoy the benefits of our supportive community much sooner than you might think. Download our transfer fostering agency guide to learn more about the process and benefits of working with ISP.

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2) Enhanced level of support

One of the main differences between fostering with your local authority vs independent fostering agencies is the level of support you receive.

Fostering is just one of many focus areas for local authorities; however, an IFA’s sole purpose is to recruit, train and support foster parents to help children in care.

At ISP, all of our foster parents have access to in-house therapists, educational experts, fostering advisors and dedicated social workers, as well as a 24/7 support line with our out-of-hours social work team. Unlike other IFAs, our multi-disciplinary team of staff means our supervising social workers (SSWs) can concentrate purely on supporting families, which is how it should be.

3) Training that supports your career development

Unlike local authorities, IFAs have more time and resources to offer extensive training programmes, so you can continue to develop your skills and grow professionally.

At ISP, you’ll enrol in our City and Guilds Assured Therapeutic Pathway Training Programme, which is a 4–5-year course that continuously develops your therapeutic fostering skills.

You’ll also have opportunities to complete specialist training and study for professional qualifications, such as NVQ3 or a QCF Level 3 in Health and Social Care.

We believe that the more training you have access to, the more skills you can develop, which means you can help foster children with a wide variety of needs. You could even choose to specialise in a particular type of fostering, such as caring for children with autism or fostering teenagers.

4) Higher fostering allowances and rewards

Money is never the primary motive to foster, but we understand that finances play a big role. After all, raising a healthy, happy child can be expensive. However, IFAs are generally able to offer much higher fostering allowances than LAs, which also include a professional fee to the foster parent.

At ISP, we find homes for young people who have experienced trauma in their early lives or have complex needs. They often have emotional challenges to overcome, and we specially train our foster parents to help them heal. That’s why we offer an extremely generous fostering allowance, because to us, our foster parents are fellow professionals.

When transferring, we will match your fee at the very least, but more often than not, we can beat it. Most of your foster allowance is tax-free, too. Alongside this, you’d also receive:

Allowances for holidays and summer activities.
Funding for new school uniforms.
22 nights of paid respite a year.
Invitations to social events and activities for your whole family to enjoy.
Access to our foster parent rewards platform, where you can find discounts on everyday expenses, holidays, days out and more.

5) Regional and national fostering opportunities

Unlike local authorities, IFAs cover multiple regions, giving you the chance to help vulnerable children from across the UK. It also means you’re likely to get more referrals if you switch to an IFA.

As you only receive an allowance when a child is in your care, you’ll want to ensure the agency you choose to foster with receives regular referrals. This way, it’s less likely you’ll experience a gap between having a child in your care, especially if you foster short-term.

If you offer long-term fostering, being with an IFA means you might be the right fit for a child whose local area doesn’t have a suitable family. This can prevent them from living in a home that isn’t quite right for them, reducing the risk of another move and giving them the stability they need to heal from their past and work towards the future.

How to switch fostering agency

Transferring from your local authority to an independent fostering agency is easier than you might think. At ISP, you could be fostering with us within just 12 weeks of your initial enquiry.

Whether you’re switching from your local authority or another fostering agency, the transfer process has a few simple steps, which we’ve highlighted below.

Transferring without a child in your care

Step 1: Call us on 0800 0857 989 or submit an enquiry form to find out more about ISP and decide whether we’re the right agency for you.
Step 2: When you’re ready to transfer, you’ll submit an application to us and notify your current fostering provider of your intent to transfer.
Step 3: Once we’ve accepted your application and received a copy of your notice of intent to transfer, your assessing social worker will complete your assessment.
Step 4: An independent panel will review your assessment and make a recommendation to our agency decision maker, who will confirm your approval status.
Step 5: You’ll formally resign from your current provider and be automatically transferred to our service 28 days later.

Transferring with a child in your care

If you currently have a child in your care, the process is very similar, but there are a couple of key differences:

When notifying your current agency of your intent to transfer to a new fostering agency, you must also let the child’s placing local authority know.
The child’s placing local authority will then arrange a Transfer Protocol Meeting within 28 days of receiving your notice of intent to transfer. This meeting will include you, someone from the child’s placing authority, someone from your current agency (if applicable) and a representative from ISP.

Learn more about therapeutic fostering with ISP

If you’re ready to transfer fostering agency and want to learn more about therapeutic foster care with ISP, including training, support, and fostering allowances, we’d love to hear from you. Call us on 0800 0857 989 or submit an enquiry below, and a member of our team will call you.

You can also find out what it’s really like to foster with us by reading our latest foster parent stories and other insightful blogs.

Enquire Today

Whether you’re looking for more information or you’re ready to apply, we’re here to help you on your journey.

Enquiry Form

You are required to have a spare bedroom that’s always available to a foster child. The spare room cannot be shared, and must be big enough to fit a single bed, a wardrobe and a chest of drawers.

Do you have a spare room?*

To be approved as a foster carer in the UK, you must be a British citizen or have the legal right to remain in the UK without restrictions that would prevent fostering.

Which of the following applies to you?*

How can we help you with your enquiry?*

The following questions are intended to help us understand your experience with children. Please note that prior experience is not required to become a foster carer, as full training will be provided.

Have you had children of your own?*

Do you have professional experience of working with children?

Have you had any prior experience of fostering, such as being a foster parent or growing up in a fostering family?*

Have you ever adopted a child?*

Are you happy to receive regular fostering news from us?*

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First Name*

Last Name*

Phone Number*

Email Address*

Postcode*