Transferring

Are you an experienced Foster Carer living within London or the South East? Feeling unsupported and unrecognised for the work that you do?

At FosterCare UK we are happy to receive applications from foster carers who wish to transfer and recognise that there are often valid and entirely understandable reasons for this. As with all careers, sometimes you just need a change or maybe you are looking for more of a challenge or stability in your career, whatever your reason for looking at our website, be assured as a foster carer you have a right to change fostering providers. That basic right is enshrined with the Fostering Network "Transfer of foster carers protocol 2012", which has been adopted as the accepted process for managing the transfer of foster carers who wish to be assessed to foster by another fostering provider.

The Protocol states:

"Foster carers have the right to freedom of movement between fostering services".

At FosterCare UK, we know that as a foster carer, your first consideration is to the stability of any children or young people you have in your care. So is ours. Thats why our first consideration will always be not to disrupt the children's placement and continue the positive work you have achieved so far.

In the most cases, following a protocol meeting with the Placing Authority, agreement can be reached for the children to transfer to FosterCare UK with you. FosterCare UK always gives a committment to maintaining the current terms of the placement to you and the placing authority. This means that you will continue to receive at least the same level of payment, expenses and services to support the child for the duration of the placement, where these exceed those provided by FosterCare UK. In all such transfers the terms of the placement, for both yourselves anf the Local Authority, will be honoured for its duration - after which further placements will be offered under FosterCare UK's placement terms.

If you do not have any children in placement, the process is significantly simpler but we will still work to the same criteria in terms of completing a fostering assessment.

The transfer process broadly works as follows:

We meet with you to discuss your plans to move
If you decide to transfer, we delay contacting your current agency until you have had the chance to talk with relevant staff and managers about your plans
You notify your agency in writing of your intention to resign
We meet with your current agency and Social Workers of young people in placement to discuss and agree transfer arrangement (Fostering Network Protocol 2012) - including the timing of your proposed move and how to manage the transfer so that any young people in placement are not disrupted or distressed by the change in agency arrangements
A Social Worker will visit you to draft a new Form F Assessment and supporting documentation
We agree with you and your current fostering provider the date at which we will present your assessment to our fostering panel, this will ensure all parties are aware of the date your current approval will end and when you may be approved by FosterCare UK
We confirm with you, and the Social Workers of any young people in placement that the transfer has been completed

Please email us - fostering@fostercareuk.co.uk or call our Head Office on 0844 800 1941 to discuss your position. We will welcome your enquiry and be assured that any information that you share with us will be treated in the strictest confidence. We will work in line with statutory requirements, Protocol guidelines (Fostering Network 2012) and our internal policies and procedures.

It is not FosterCare UK policy to recruit foster carers from Local Authorities