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Methodology
Our methodology: how we source and fact-check
Every fact on this site is sourced and dated, or we say plainly that it isn't confirmed - we never fill a gap with an invented figure. Here's exactly how we research, write, and correct our content.
Written by Sam Allcock · Last updated 24 August 2026
Cite or refuse - our core sourcing rule
Every statistic, allowance figure, or claim about eligibility rules on this site is checked against a primary or clearly identified secondary source - GOV.UK, Ofsted's published statistics, The Fostering Network, or DfE-commissioned research such as the Ipsos 2023 study on carer recruitment. Where we cannot verify a figure to our own standard, we don't publish an estimate dressed up as a fact - we either state clearly that it's an estimate or a campaign figure rather than a confirmed statutory rate, or we leave the specific number out entirely and explain why. Our page on the 2026 Kinship Zones pilot is a live example of this - it names what we can confirm and explicitly flags what we can't.
How we date facts and figures
Every page carries a visible "last updated" date, and figures that are time-sensitive - like statutory allowance rates or approved-carer counts - are labelled with the year or period they apply to (for example, "2025/26" for the current National Minimum Allowance table), not presented as timeless facts. When a figure changes - such as the annual NMA uplift - we update the page and its date, rather than leaving stale numbers live.
Our allowance-figures policy
This is the strictest rule on the site, because it's the area most prone to misleading marketing across the wider fostering sector. Any page that quotes a weekly fostering allowance must:
- Show a range or a clearly labelled statutory minimum, never a single cherry-picked headline number.
- State the region, route (local authority or independent agency) and, where relevant, the child's age band the figure applies to.
- Carry the "this is not a salary" caveat prominently - not buried in small print - explaining that carers are only paid when they have a placement, with no sick pay, holiday pay or pension.
- Name its source and the date that source applies to.
See this in practice on our allowance calculator, which deliberately shows two independently sourced figures rather than blending them into one falsely precise number.
AI-assistance disclosure
Content on this site is drafted with AI assistance and then fact-checked by a named author against the cited primary sources before it's published - this is disclosed in the byline on every content page. AI assistance speeds up drafting; it does not replace verification against real sources, and it never generates a statistic, price, or claim that isn't backed by something we can cite.
What this site doesn't do. We don't carry out our own health, DBS or safeguarding assessments, and nothing here substitutes for a real conversation with a local authority or registered fostering agency about your specific circumstances - see the "not a substitute for professional advice" notes throughout our eligibility and requirements guides.
Corrections policy
If you spot a figure you believe is wrong or out of date, we want to know. When we correct a page, we update the content, refresh the "last updated" date shown on the page, and update the page's underlying schema data accordingly - there's no silent editing of substantive facts. For allowance-sensitive and eligibility content specifically, we treat this as safeguarding-adjacent, YMYL content, and corrections are prioritised accordingly rather than queued indefinitely.
Frequently asked questions
Does fostering.org.uk use AI to write its content?
Content is drafted with AI assistance and then fact-checked by a named author against the cited primary sources before publishing. This is disclosed on every page.
What happens if you get a figure wrong?
We correct it, update the page's dateModified, and keep a visible last-updated date on every page so you can see when it was last checked.
Where a figure isn't available, what do you do?
We say so openly rather than estimate or invent a number - our cite-or-refuse policy means every fact carries a source, or we state plainly that the figure isn't confirmed.