Fostering & adoption agencies in England

A number of agencies and authorities work together to provide services for children, including local authority adoption, fostering and residential services, voluntary adoption agencies and independent fostering providers. This page provides information about the regulation and management of these services.

Some of the documents linked to on this page are in the pdf format.

To read pdfs you will need Acrobat Reader (download free from Adobe).

> Finding providers of adoption and fostering services
> Regulatory bodies
> Regulations
> Standards
> Inspections and ratings
> Managing services for children and families
> Involving children and young people in decision making
> Interagency and registration fees
> Services for BAAF member agencies

Finding providers of adoption and fostering services

Our agencies database lists details of registered adoption and fostering services in the UK who are BAAF members.

The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) is responsible for the inspection of regulated care services in England and a directory of care services in England. http://www.csci.gov.uk

Regulatory bodies

The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills  (ofsted) is responsible for the inspection of regulated care services in England. Details of registered service and inspection reports are provided on the Ofsted website.

Regulations

• The Local Authority Adoption Service (England) Regulations 2003 http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk
• The Voluntary Adoption Agencies and the Adoption Agencies (Miscellaneous Amendment) Regulations 2003 http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk
• The Local Authority Adoption Services and Miscellaneous Amendments (Wales) Regulations 2003 http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk
• The Fostering Services Regulations 2002 http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk
• The Children's Homes Regulations 2001 http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk
• The Care Homes Regulations 2001 http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk
• The Residential Family Centres Regulations 2002 http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk
• The Disqualification from Caring for Children (England) Regulations 2002 http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk

Standards

• National Adoption Standards for England (in pdf) http://www.dh.gov.uk
• National Minimum Standards for Voluntary Adoption Agencies and Local Authority Adoption Services in England and Wales (in pdf) http://www.dh.gov.uk
• National Minimum Standards Care Homes (in pdf) http://www.dh.gov.uk
• National Minimum Standards Children's Homes (in pdf) http://www.dh.gov.uk
• National Minimum Standards Fostering Services (in pdf) http://www.dh.gov.uk
• National Minimum Standards Residential Family Centres (in pdf) http://www.dh.gov.uk

Inspections and ratings

New Arrangements for the Inspection, Assessment and Review of Services for Children and Young People
The Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) has published details of the new arrangements for inspection, annual performance assessment and joint area reviews of services for children and young people aged 0-18, as required under the Children Act 2004. The documents are available from the Ofsted website including a summary of the arrangements.

Inspections
The Commission Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted)  is responsible for the inspection of regulated care services in England. Details of the inspection process, and access to inspection reports, joint area reviews and annual performance assessments can be found on the Ofsted website.

Star Ratings
CSCI also produces summary reports for each council, using star ratings to show strengths and weaknesses across social services. http://www.csci.org.uk

Performance Assessment Framework Indicators
Social Services are also measured against a set of performance indicators devised by the Department of Health. Descriptions of the indicators and ratings for each council can be found on the Department of Health website.

Managing services for children and families

Listed below are a number of resources on good practice and service development found on external websites.

Good Practice

• The Audit Commission report 'Old Virtues, New Virtues' provides an overview of the changes in social care services from 1996-2003 and highlights examples of good practice as shown in Joint Reviews in England.
• The Joint Reviews Making Ends Meet website provides guidance and examples of good practice for managing the demand for placements and managing the supply of placements
• The 'Racial Equality in Health and Social Care: Good Practice Guide' published by the Northern Ireland Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety includes strategies for good practice
.

Improving Services

• 'Tomorrow's Children' is a discussion paper highlighting the needs of vulnerable and excluded children and examining how UK childcare services need to develop in the next decade in order to meet these needs.
• 'From vision to reality: transforming outcomes for children and families' is a guidance document produced by a coalition of children's sector organisations detailing proposals for the development of children's services.
• Information about the six strands of the Co-ordinating Children's Services Programme (includes Children's Trusts and Information Sharing and Assessment) can be found on the Children and Young People's Unit website
• The Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) has published the first in a three-part briefing series designed to help people working in children's services to consider the most effective means of delivering improved outcomes for children and their families.

Involving children and young people in decision making

Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states that children have the right to express views on all issues that affect them, and that their views should be taken into consideration. The UK has ratified this Convention and the requirement to seek and take into account the views of children and young people is becoming part of UK law and policy. Listed here are a number of resources and tools that are designed to help policy makers involve children and young people.

Research

• A summary of a study carried out by the Institute for Public Policy Research, which explored the challenges that local authorities may face when involving young people in local authority decision-making
  
• The 3rd Quality Protects Research Briefing looks at young people's participation. It sums up the issues, reviews local authority action plans, and makes recommendations for improving practice
• 'Building a culture of participation' describes the ways that children and young people can be involved in decision making and identifies factors that promote good outcomes
• 'Listen then commission' is published by the Who Cares? Trust and the Fostering Network and reports on a study examining how young people looked after in public care could be involved in the commissioning process for foster care provision

Resources

• A list of questions on consulting children has been provided on the Making Ends Meet website
• A list of books and tools that can be used to help children and young people in contact with children's services make decisions about their care
• Details of books and tools to help practitioners communicate with and involve disabled children in planning and decision making
• Listening to Children is a Choice Protects supplement on good practice in children's advocacy and participation
• The 'Building a culture of participation handbook' discusses ideas on successfully involving children and young people in service planning, delivery and evaluation
• Re:action is a toolkit designed to offer practice guidance on consulting with children and young people on policy related issues

Interagency and registration fees

See our financial information section.