5 Signs It's Time To Consider Transferring
Wondering if it’s time to switch foster care agencies? Explore the key signs that may indicate it's time for a change.
Fostering is a journey with many ups and downs, and with the right fostering agency by your side, you’ll be fully supported and never feel alone.
But, with the wrong fostering agency, the journey can leave you feeling isolated, with every day seeming like an uphill battle, leaving you weary and uncertain about the future. So, what are the signs that it is time to consider switching foster care agencies?
Read on to find out, and if you relate to any of these signs, it may be time to consider transferring.
5 Reasons to Transfer Fostering Provider
1) Support is unreliable, hard to obtain or simply non-existent
Were you promised support that hasn't come to fruition? Have you reached out for support but have found it insufficient? Fostering, although rewarding, comes with unique challenges. But, if you receive high-quality, consistent and reliable support, you'll feel less overwhelmed and more equipped to face challenges head-on.
At ISP, we dedicate our lives to giving children in care the childhood they deserve and an optimistic future by providing holistic support that helps children recover from their trauma. This includes empowering our foster parents to provide therapeutic foster care and ensuring you never feel alone on your fostering journey. You'll receive support from the moment you enquire, and we'll be by your side every step of the way. If you transfer to ISP, the support for foster parents includes:
- Dedicated social worker - your social worker will devote time to getting to know you and the young people in your care, meeting with you regularly to offer support, advice and guidance. They'll listen to you and ensure you receive specialist support and training that broadens your knowledge and encourages professional development.
- Fostering advisors – we offer additional support from our fostering advisors, and because they are experienced foster parents, they understand the unique challenges you face. So, whether you need wisdom, advice or mentoring, you can call on them, and they'll give you dedicated support.
- In-house therapists, teachers, and more - all our foster parents have access to our community of fostering professionals. From therapy to education and more, our support is in-house and forms part of your local network, and because it's on your doorstep, it's easy to access whenever required.
- Support groups - We know how vital it is to form friendships with people who truly understand your journey. That's why you'll have countless opportunities to meet other foster parents during support groups and meet-ups to build connections.
- 24/7 support - fostering can be unpredictable, so if you need help outside of standard office hours, our highly qualified out-of-hours team are ready to assist you.
2) Training doesn’t put enough emphasis on trauma
As you know, being a foster parent means caring for children living with trauma. To do so effectively, you need high-quality trauma-informed training that continuously builds your skills and knowledge in therapeutic foster care.
At ISP, we have over 35 years of experience, which has enabled us to develop and refine a foster parent training programme that’s helped us build a team of some of the best therapeutic foster parents in the country. Our training gives you the knowledge and skills to not only take care of children living with trauma but also help them recover.
If you transfer to ISP, the comprehensive training you'll have access to includes:
- Mandatory training - when you transfer, mandatory training you've completed with your current fostering agency will be transferred. Often, our training exceeds the standards of other providers, so whether you need to refresh existing mandatory training (for example, PRICE or First Aid) or complete a new course, we'll make sure it's scheduled for you.
- Therapeutic pathway - our City & Guilds Assured training programme will introduce you to therapeutic fostering by teaching you the essential skills you need to provide therapeutic foster care. We'll broaden your knowledge with a Toolbox of courses, including sessions based on feedback received from our foster parents about particular challenges they have faced - for example, attention-seeking behaviour, difficult sibling relationships, hyperactivity and anger. And you'll take part in reflective practice groups to fine-tune your skills.
- Additional Training – we have lots of additional training courses available on more specialised topics, such as Leaving Care, Managing Disclosures and Life Skills Development.
3) You aren’t recognised or rewarded for your dedication
Fostering is a full-time career that requires you to be on-call day and night, undergo extensive training and guide children through life challenges. If your fostering allowance doesn't recognise your experience or your dedication to changing young lives, it may be time to switch fostering agencies.
If you transfer to ISP, at a minimum we’ll match your current fostering allowance for children already in your care but are often able to offer you a higher fee. Plus, you’ll have the chance to progress into a Senior Grade foster parent, receiving an even higher fostering allowance that recognises your commitment to the young people in your care, our wider fostering community, and the specialist skills and knowledge you have worked hard to obtain.
If you foster with ISP, alongside your fostering allowance, you’ll also receive:
- Holiday allowance per child - so you can make memories together as a family and give children you care for new positive experiences.
- Summer holiday allowance - the summer holidays can feel long, so having something to look forward to, like a trip to a theme park or ice skating, can lift spirits and promote positive overall well-being.
- Uniform allowance - educational development is crucial to improving the outcomes for children in care, so you'll receive this allowance when the children you care for start secondary school.
- Access to our rewards platform where you can receive discounts off everyday essentials, holidays, days out and more.
- Up to 22 nights of paid respite care.
- Mileage allowances.
4) Referrals are few and far between, or matches aren’t suitable
Are you receiving very few referrals? Are the children you’ve been matched with not right for you and your family?
If there’s a significant gap between having children in your care, leaving you wondering if you'll ever receive a referral again. Or if you've received referrals but feel like your agency isn’t listening to you or having your best interests at heart, it may be time to consider transferring.
At ISP, we receive hundreds of referrals daily and will work closely with you to identify the best children for your whole family. Our dedication to getting to know you means we develop a deep understanding of your experience, skills, family dynamics and preferences. So, when we receive a referral, we can act quickly to provide children in desperate need with a stable, nurturing and loving home.
All our foster parents have a digital profile highlighting their strengths, which are featured on our exclusive Vacancy Hub. All the local authorities we work with have access to the hub, streamlining the process and allowing for fast and effective matching.
5) Your fostering agency lacks community
Do you wish you could have more opportunities to meet other foster parents? Does your fostering agency put little emphasis on building communities?
When you become a foster parent, being part of a close-knit community of foster parents provides additional support and an opportunity to make friends with like-minded people. If your fostering agency isn't helping you connect, it may be time to consider transferring.
At ISP, communities are part of our wrap-around support for foster families. We organise regular support groups, in-person training, family events and activities that allow you and the children in your care to come together, have fun and build long-lasting friendships.
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.
How to change foster care agencies
Transferring fostering agencies isn't a decision to be taken lightly, so we recommend compiling a checklist of expectations before researching potential providers. Once you've identified a fostering agency that meets your criteria, it's time to begin the transfer process.
How easy is it to change foster agencies?
If you transfer to ISP, we’ll fast-track your application, and you could approved within three months of your initial enquiry.
How to transfer to ISP
- Enquiry & Initial Visit - if you're considering joining ISP, speak to one of our friendly team. We'll organise a home visit and provide all the details you need to make an informed decision.
- Application - if you're happy to move forward, you'll complete an application and notify your current fostering agency with a letter of intent to transfer.
- Assessment - the assessment process will be quicker than the first time you completed it, and the main focus will be on the experience and skills you've gained on your fostering journey.
- Panel - once your assessment is complete, an independent panel will review it.
- Transfer - once you've received confirmation of your approval, you’ll resign from your current fostering agency before being automatically transferred to us within 28 days.
Transferring to ISP with a child in your care
If you want to transfer to ISP and already have a child in your care, there are two relatively simple extra steps:
- When you notify your current fostering agency of your intent to transfer, you must also inform the child’s local placing authority.
- The child’s local placing authority will organise a Transfer Protocol meeting within 28 days of your letter of intent.
The purpose of the transfer protocol meeting is to ensure that a child's care plan is considered, and their care is kept consistent throughout the transfer process. The meeting will help us understand how we can best continue to meet a young person's needs. It also allows the local authority to share all relevant information to ensure a smooth transition for the young person. The meeting will involve you, your current agency, the local authority and a member of our team.
If you're considering transferring to another fostering agency and want to join an agency that puts children at the centre of their care, get in touch. With our trauma-informed training and therapeutic approach together, we can help children living with trauma heal.
