The independent guide to fostering in the UK
Thinking about fostering? Here's the honest version.
What you'd really be paid, and whether you're actually eligible - most people who think they're ruled out aren't. No agency owns this site, so we can tell you the parts they leave out.
Sourced, dated, updated as new data lands
The state of fostering right now
approved foster carers in England, March 2025
▼ down 720 on the year before - the fourth year of decline in a row
Source: The Fostering Network, 2025 ↗
more fostering families needed in England so every child can be placed with the right family
Source: The Fostering Network, 2025 ↗
typical time from first thinking about fostering to being approved - that's normal
Source: Ipsos/DfE research, July 2023 ↗
You may already be eligible, even if someone told you otherwise
"I rent my home"
Renting isn't a barrier. Housing association and private tenants foster every year, with their landlord's permission.
Read the full guide →"I'm single"
No requirement to be married or partnered. Single carers are approved routinely across every region.
Read the full guide →"I'm over 55"
There's no upper age limit. What matters is your health and energy to meet a child's needs, assessed individually.
Read the full guide →"I'm on a visa"
Indefinite leave to remain isn't a legal requirement. Anyone with a visa permitting self-employed work can foster.
Read the full guide →The honest number on fostering pay
Statutory minimum, Rest of England, 2025/26
per child, depending on their age. London and the South East pay more - independent fostering agencies typically pay more still, up to around £900/week for the most complex placements. See the full, region-by-region table.
Source: The Fostering Network, National Minimum Allowance table, 2025/26 ↗
We're not owned by either, so we can tell you the truth
Local authorities and independent fostering agencies both approve and support foster carers - neither is simply "better." It depends what matters most to you.
Local authority
- Your own council places children with you, usually locally
- Average weekly fee around £499, per sector data
- Support varies by council budget, but local connections and school continuity are usually stronger
Independent agency (IFA)
- Children are referred to the agency from local councils
- Average weekly fee around £526, with some paying substantially more for complex placements
- Typically more intensive training and a dedicated supervising social worker
Source: sector fee data cross-checked via Fostering News and Sparks Fostering, 2025. Read the full, neutral comparison →
Everything else you need to know, written straight
Types of fostering
Respite, short-term, long-term, emergency, parent-and-child and therapeutic fostering, explained honestly, one type at a time.
Read the guide →Kinship care & Special Guardianship Orders
Now half of all newly approved fostering households in England - and the least well-served topic by commercial agencies.
Read the guide →Fostering vs adoption
Different legal status, different money, different permanence. What actually changes, and when foster-to-adopt fits.
Read the guide →Becoming a foster carer
The real process end to end, including why only 6% of enquiries nationally become approved carers - and why that isn't the whole story.
Read the guide →Eligibility myths, mapped to the real rules
Renting, being single, being over 55, your visa status, pets, your spare room - what actually rules people out, and what doesn't.
Read the guide →Council or agency - the neutral comparison
The comparison no agency can publish about itself. Who places children, what you're paid, what support looks like.
Read the guide →Check if you could foster
No personal details needed. This is a quick self-check, not an assessment - only a registered service can tell you whether you'd be approved.
Why trust an independent site over an agency's?
Three things, concretely, not a vague values statement.
We don't place children and no single agency pays us to favour it. Any future sponsored listings will be flat-fee and clearly labelled, never pay-per-lead - so there's never an incentive to point you toward whoever pays the most.
Every figure on this site is sourced and dated, and we show the caveats agencies leave out - including the fact that fostering pay is not a salary.
Real bylines, real editorial standards. Every guide names its author and states plainly where AI assistance was used in drafting. Read our independence statement →
Is fostering.org.uk a fostering agency?
No. We're an independent information service. We don't place children and we're not part of government, a local authority, Ofsted or any agency.
Will using this site affect my chances of being approved?
No, and we'd never claim it could. Approval is an independent statutory assessment carried out by a registered fostering service - not something we do or influence.
How do you make money if you're independent?
Currently through simple advertising. When we introduce a fostering service directory, listings will be flat-fee, not pay-per-lead, so there's never an incentive to point you toward whoever pays the most. Read our full independence statement.