The Role of Independant Fostering Agencies (IFA's)
Could you foster Johnny?
We are looking for foster carers for Johnny. Could you be his new foster carers? Why not find out more?
Over recent years there have been a proliferation of Independent Fostering Agencies (IFA's) throughout the UK. An early survey showed that most IFA foster carers felt well supported, were more committed to the organisation, and had access to more and regular training. Until the last few years the growth of this sector was slow but steady, more recently it appears that new agencies are being formed each month. The impact of this growth has yet to be measured.
The Government has recently introduced standards to which all independent fostering agencies and social services departments must adhere. It is hoped, over time that this will allow us to find out exactly how many children are being placed with IFA's and to monitor the work of both agencies and departments.
The argument for IFA's tends to focus upon their ability to enrich choice and the commitment, both to and from carers. They also argue, with some justification, that their existence has led to improved local council fostering services. Those against, emphasise the loss of experienced carers to the IFA's and the high costs involved.
Should I foster for an IFA?
The first thing you should note is that IFA's are usually asked to provide a foster placement for children that the local social services can't place with their own foster carers. This may be because all of their suitable foster placements are being used. Quite often children being placed with IFA foster carers will have a history of difficulties and may have been in foster care previously in their home area.
On many occasions local authorities will want to eventually place these children with their own foster carers. This tends to make IFA placements relatively short-term arrangements, at least when the placement starts. IFA's have recently been able to provide placements for children on a long-term and planned basis. The likelihood is that over the next few years IFA's will be able to provide a service for an ever wider range of children.
Our advice is that you should consider applying to an IFA if you have been a foster carer, or if you have been involved in work with children from "disadvantaged" backgrounds. You should also consider applying if you feel that you have an ability to foster children that are considered "challenging".
You should establish with any IFA that the type of foster care that you can offer matches the type of foster care they are wanting to provide.
You should always check with existing IFA carers about the level of support, and quality of management and workers they have experienced. They will also be able to tell you how easily the children placed can have access to local resources such as schools, educational psychologists, etc., or if these are provided as part of the IFA's care package for each child. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for some children to be out of school for a time because the placing social services department has no responsibility for providing for the child's education. This responsibility falls to the local authority where the foster carer resides.
The future?
The UK fostering service is in crisis. See article in Community Care. Placing all foster care providers under the new national care standards council arrangements is to be welcomed warmly and places all on the same footing.
If IFA's provide a unique service to children from their region, their contribution should be valued. There should however be some recompense to local social services departments for any of their experienced foster carers that IFA's take on, much the same as the inter-agency fees paid for approved adopters.
Our position
The government is committed to a "mixed economy" of foster care and that the role of the IFA's will continue to grow. Our visitors can be assured that only foster care providers that have satisfied the National Care Standards Council requirements will be mentioned on this web site.
