National Minimum Standards for Fostering Services

1.	Managing the fostering service
2.	Securing welfare
3.	Promoting welfare
4.	Staff
5.	Records kept by the service
6.	Fostering panels
7.	Other types fostering placements

Introduction

This is a summary of the national minimum standards for fostering services. They apply to local authority fostering services, independent fostering agencies and voluntary organisations providing fostering services under the Children's Act 1989.

They are minimum standards rather than best possible practices. They focus on achievable outcomes for children. The fostering service providers and Ofsted should use them to secure positive welfare, health and education outcomes for children and young people as well as reducing risks to their welfare and safety.

All providers and staff of fostering services should aim to provide the best care possible for the children using their service. Meeting these standards is an essential part of their responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of each individual child.

1. Managing the service.

Statement of purpose. The service must provide information about its aims and objectives and what facilities and services it provides. The information is produced as a report called the statement of purpose (SoP). The SoP should also included things like:

• Number, qualifications and experience of staff
• Number of foster carers and how the recruit, approve, train and support those carers
• Number of children placed with carers
• Number of complaints and their outcome

The service should also produce a version that children are able to understand. This is called the 'Children's Guide'.

There should be procedures in place for monitoring how the service is running and making sure that children are being provided with a quality service.