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  2. Parenting, childcare and children's services
  3. Adoption, fostering and surrogacy

Fostering

Fostering through your council, training, standards, fostering agencies, data collection forms, 'staying put' arrangements.

Services

  1. Foster carers

    Foster carers look after children when their parents aren't able to - becoming a foster carer, money and support available, fostering agencies

  2. Looking after someone else's child

    Support and benefits you can get if you're looking after someone else's child, court orders - kinship care, private fostering, friends and family care

  3. Apply to foster a child through your council

    Apply to foster a child through the social services department of your local council

  4. TSD standards workbook for foster carers

    Form for foster carers to prove they meet the required training, support and development (TSD) standards.

  5. TSD standards workbook for family and friends foster carers

    Form for family and friends foster carers to fill in to prove that they meet the training, support and development standards.

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Guidance and regulation

  1. Fostering services: national minimum standards
    • Guidance
    • Department for Education
  2. Fostering services: assessment and approval of foster carers
    • Statutory guidance
    • Department for Education
  3. Staying put: arrangements for care leavers aged 18 years and above
    • Guidance
    • Department for Education, Department for Work and Pensions, and HM Revenue & Customs
  4. Children Act 1989: private fostering
    • Statutory guidance
    • Department for Education
  5. Children Act 1989: fostering services
    • Statutory guidance
    • Department for Education
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News and communications

News story

Plans to help children in foster care experience loving and stable homes

Department for Education

  1. Minister visits projects supporting children's services in Leeds
    • Department for Education
    • News story
  2. Staying Put grant: determination letter
    • Department for Education
    • Correspondence
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Research and statistics

  1. Foster care in England
    • Department for Education
    • Independent report
  2. Social care questionnaires 2017: what children and young people told Ofsted
    • Ofsted
    • Research
  3. Fostering in England 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017
    • Ofsted
    • National statistics
  4. The fostering system in England: review
    • Department for Education
    • Research
  5. New Orleans intervention model: early implementation
    • Department for Education
    • Research
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Policy papers and consultations

  1. Fostering better outcomes
    • Department for Education
    • Policy paper
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Organisations