Guidance

Independent fostering agencies registration policy

Updated 28 November 2025

Applies to England

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-an-independent-fostering-agency/independent-fostering-agencies-registration-policy

This policy sets out the processes Ofsted uses to decide whether an independent fostering agency provider is suitable to be registered or associated with a registration.

This policy is for:

  • anyone who wants to start an independent fostering agency
  • individuals applying to be a manager of an independent fostering agency
  • an appointed responsible individual for an independent fostering agency
  • anyone already operating an independent fostering agency who is considering registering further branches

Due to the exceptionally high number of applications, it is taking us longer than usual to process new submissions. If you are applying to register, it is likely to be several months before you receive a decision.

To help avoid further delays, please ensure that you provide all required information both at the time of application and throughout the process.

Providing independent fostering services in England and Wales

If you intend to provide services in both England and Wales, you may also need to register with the Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW), regardless of where your office or branches are located. You may need to follow the regulatory framework under both the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016 (RISCA) and the Care Standards Act 2000.

Read about how Ofsted works with CIW.

Independent fostering agencies

Fostering is a way for children to have a family life while they are not able to live with their own parents. We do not register individual foster carers; we register fostering organisations (voluntary or private) that approve foster carers, and which are known as independent fostering agencies.

An independent fostering agency undertakes functions related to the recruitment, assessment, approval, support and review of suitability of foster carers. It also works in partnership with the local authority to place children with suitable foster carers. However, independent fostering agencies operate differently from local authorities.

Individuals, partnerships and organisations who want to open an independent fostering agency must register with Ofsted before doing so. Registration helps to prevent unsuitable people from owning, operating, managing or working in independent fostering agencies.

Foster carers can provide temporary or long-term care for children. Some children remain in foster care, some return to their families, others are adopted or move to live independently.

Types of foster placements

There are many types of foster placement that independent fostering agencies can offer, including: 

  • short or long-term placements: foster placements that range from being for a short time to being permanent, that is when a child stays with their foster carer until adulthood

  • emergency placements: placements that are arranged with very little notice for the foster carer

  • placements for children who have physical and learning disabilities

  • short breaks: temporary care for a child for a short period – sometimes called ‘respite care’ – while, most of the time, the child lives with full-time foster carers or birth families

  • multi-dimensional treatment foster care (MDTFC): a specialist programme of care that involves parenting training for the foster carers and the child’s parents in how to provide a structured and therapeutic home environment

  • therapeutic foster care: differing from MDTFC, a model of therapeutic care, adopted by the fostering service, that is embedded into the assessment, training and support of foster carers, informing the care provided to children

  • remand fostering: when young people in England or Wales are ‘remanded’ by the court to the care of a specially trained foster carer

  • kinship placements: provided by local authority fostering services and sometimes also known as ‘friends and family’ or ‘connected persons’ foster care

  • parent and child placements: often time-limited placements to support an assessment of parenting capacity for parents aged under or over 18 years, with one child or more placed with them

  • foster-to-adopt placements: see early permanence section

  • the Mockingbird Programme: a licensed model of foster care in which groups of foster carers are linked to a local hub carer who provides respite and support to their linked foster families. Similar, non-licenced versions of Mockingbird are also developing in the sector

  • refuges: foster carers’ homes that can be designated as refuges if approved by a fostering service. The fostering service must apply to the Department for Education (DfE) for a certificate for the foster carer to operate as a refuge

Registering branches   

You may deliver services at different locations or work from different premises. You may need to register these as a separate branch of your agency, even when these branches are run by the same organisation. Each branch is inspected individually.

A branch must:

  • have its own registration
  • have its own manager
  • have all the relevant registration and annual fees paid
  • be inspected separately

You should use the criteria below to decide whether the premises are a branch or an office and review this if the activities carried out in them changes.

When to register premises as a branch

If 4 or more of the following activities are carried out in an office, or in a location other than the agency’s registered premises, it is considered to be a branch and will require its own registration:  

  • providing support, training and information for foster parents (including supervision)
  • providing constitution and membership of a fostering panel
  • providing assessment of prospective foster parents (including recruiting foster parents)
  • approving foster parents
  • reviewing and terminating approval

If a group of offices works on 4 of the above activities, this group of offices is considered to be one branch.

The criteria we use to decide whether a group of offices is a branch include that they:

  • operate as one service rather than separate services
  • have one statement of purpose and the same policies, procedures and guidelines
  • have common record-keeping procedures, administrative systems and training plans
  • include one individual office that covers a wide geographical area
  • include one individual office that supervises a large number of placements and staff

In some cases, a decision will be made on the basis of one criterion. For example, a large geographical coverage is likely to indicate sufficient independence of each office to require registration as a branch.

Other elements of agency function will also be considered. For example:

  • who is in day-to-day charge at the location
  • where is the location of the service, and how accessible it is for staff, foster carers and all associated individuals

Virtual locations and premises

The principles of branch registration also apply to a registered fostering service that operates virtually (without a physical office location).

When deciding whether single or multiple registrations are required, it is likely that geographical spread, management functions and how foster carers and children access the fostering service will be taken into consideration.

Early permanence services 

Adoption providers also have to register as independent fostering agencies if they are going to offer foster-to-adopt services, also known as early permanence or concurrent planning.

These placements enable children to live with foster carers who later go on to adopt them if the court decides that is in the children’s best interests. 

These fostering agencies have a condition applied to their registration certificate that confirms they are only registered to provide foster-to-adopt services. If they wish to offer a wider range of services, they need to apply to Ofsted to have this condition removed and pay a major variation fee. In this situation, it is likely that an inspector will visit the fostering agency, as they would for a registration visit. This is to establish that the service is equipped to provide the range of services that it is proposing.

Registering local authority fostering services under an alternative delivery model

Some local authorities choose, or are required by the Secretary of State, to deliver fostering services through an alternative delivery model. For example, this might be through a trust or a not-for-profit organisation that is a separate legal entity. In these circumstances, the fostering service that was previously operated by the local authority is required to register as an independent fostering agency. 

Fostering recruitment hubs

Some local authorities are developing shared recruitment hubs. This means that one local authority hosts a hub that manages the recruitment and initial enquiry activity for a group of local authorities. Some hubs provide wider elements of the fostering recruitment and assessment process, including training or assessments of suitability.

Ofsted applies the DfE assessment process when considering at what stage a fostering recruitment hub needs to apply to register.

Ofsted considers that the regulated activity of appointing foster carers begins at the first point at which the service contacts the potential foster carer. This includes asking the potential foster carer for more information or conducting a home visit. This also applies to private organisations that carry out individual elements of the fostering process, for example:

  • recruitment of foster carers on behalf of a registered service
  • a single local authority
  • group of local authorities

You can contact us if you are unsure whether the service you plan to offer requires registration.

Starting an independent fostering agency

To register an independent fostering agency, applicants must complete one Register a children’s social care service (SC1) form for each service they want to run. The SC1 form is about the provider and the service.

It is an offence under section 11 of the Care Standards Act 2000 to provide or manage an independent fostering agency without registering with Ofsted. This includes providing independent fostering to children, intermediary services to children or adults or while we are processing your application.

Anyone found running or managing an independent fostering agency without registration will be liable for prosecution.

Those applying to register must take account of the:

Who Ofsted needs to know about

Ofsted needs to know about everyone in a role of responsibility. This means a governance or management role of an independent fostering agency, which we call ‘carrying on the fostering agency’.

This covers:

  • an individual, partnership or organisation that is registered with Ofsted (the ‘provider’)

  • a manager who is registered with Ofsted (‘the registered manager’ of the fostering agency). This person cannot be the responsible individual of the organisation or one of the partners of a partnership applying to register

  • a ‘responsible individual’ if the provider is registering as an organisation. This is someone who has the skills necessary to supervise the management of the independent fostering agency, who is a director, manager, secretary or other officer of the organisation  

These people will need to submit an Apply to be connected with a children’s social care service (SC2) form as part of the application to register.

Ofsted must be satisfied that those in a role of responsibility meet the fitness for registration requirements and are suitably qualified and experienced to carry out the role they are applying for. If you intend to hold more than one role, we will assess your suitability and capacity for each role.

We will interview the person applying to be the registered manager and usually interview the responsible individual or an individual applicant or partner. 

If you intend to operate one or more branches including virtual offices, each branch manager must apply to be registered.

How Ofsted uses your data

Ofsted needs to make sure that providers and managers can remain fit to carry on or manage a registered children’s care service.

We need to keep some data, including personal data, for as long as you are registered to provide these services. This includes information about your suitability to provide children’s care services.

We may keep this information for longer if any regulatory issues or concerns were raised when you were registered.

Factors that may prevent an individual from being associated with the independent fostering agency

There are several factors that prevent individuals from being associated with an independent fostering agency, including:

We also take into consideration whether individuals have previously been disqualified from working in a children’s home. You can find a full list of reasons for disqualification in our social care enforcement policy and in the Disqualification from Caring for Children (England) Regulations 2002.

Types of providers

You are the legal entity providing the independent fostering agency. You are responsible for making sure that the provision meets the Care Standards Act 2000, the registration regulations made under it, the Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011 and the Fostering services: national minimum standards.

There are 3 different types of independent fostering agency providers:

  • organisations
  • partnerships
  • individual providers

Organisations

Organisations include:

  • companies or limited liability partnerships (LLP) – the details provided must match what is recorded by Companies House
  • statutory bodies
  • charities
  • trusts, for example those appointed by a local authority
  • committees, for example a social care committee of a local community
  • unincorporated associations

Charities must ensure that their organisation is set up correctly and that they can demonstrate this to Ofsted.

Read the Charity Commission’s guidance on setting up a charity for more information.

Partnerships

A partnership is a business in which 2 or more people share the profits and liabilities. This is usually under a written partnership agreement. A business registered as an LLP or a company does not count as a partnership. When a partnership applies to register, each person in the partnership must apply and be granted registration.

We will need to see a copy of the agreement or document that clearly establishes the partnership as a legal entity.

Individual providers

An individual provider can be one person or more than one person. You can provide a service, without having to set up a partnership, a company or an organisation. We name each person on the registration certificate. Any regulatory action we take may result in action against each person.

If an individual registers their business as a company, then this is an organisation.

Roles

Certain roles must be in place to register an independent fostering agency, depending on the type of provider responsible for the agency.

Responsible individuals

An organisation must appoint a responsible individual. They will communicate with Ofsted about the independent fostering agency on behalf of the organisation and have the experience, qualifications and skills necessary to supervise the management of the independent fostering agency. 

Individuals and partnerships do not need to appoint a responsible individual. The individual or partnership must meet the same fitness requirements as responsible individuals. They will also need to nominate a point of contact to communicate with Ofsted.

The responsible individual can be any individual who has the appropriate skills. They will perform functions similar to that of a director, whatever job title they have, for example: 

  • a director of the organisation
  • a manager of the organisation
  • a secretary of the organisation
  • another officer of the organisation

The Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011 require the responsible individual to be a different person from the registered manager.  

A responsible individual, individual provider or partner must:

  • be of integrity and good character
  • have regard to the size of the fostering agency, its statement of purpose, and the numbers and needs of the children placed by the fostering agency
  • carry on the fostering agency with sufficient care, competence and skill
  • be mentally and physically fit to carry on the fostering agency
  • be financially fit to carry on or manage the fostering agency
  • ensure that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to Schedule 1 of The Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011

Ofsted does not register the responsible individual, but we must know who the individual is. The responsible individual will need to complete an SC2 form. We will carry out checks and, in most cases, interview them. As a proposed provider, you should only appoint a responsible individual who you have assessed as suitable to represent the service to Ofsted. We may refuse the application if we do not consider the responsible individual to be suitable. We will contact you to discuss our concerns.    

Suitability of responsible individuals 

Responsible individuals must demonstrate in their written application and interview that they are suitable and have the appropriate skills to carry on the independent fostering agency, on behalf of the organisation. We also consider relevant information from any previous applications they have been, or are still, associated with.

You can read more information on what to expect at a registration interview.

Independent fostering agency manager

You must ensure that each registered independent fostering agency has a manager. The manager is responsible for carrying out the fostering agency’s regulatory activities. The manager must be registered by Ofsted.

Fitness requirements for managers

You must not allow a person to manage a fostering agency unless they are fit to do so. A person is not fit to manage a fostering agency unless that person:

  • is of integrity and good character
  • has regard to the size of the fostering agency, its statement of purpose, and the numbers and needs of the children placed by it
  • has the qualifications, skills and experience necessary for managing the fostering agency
  • is physically and mentally fit to manage a fostering agency
  • can ensure that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to Schedule 1 of the Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011

The manager’s registration is personal to them and is for the independent fostering agency they are applying to manage. It is not transferable to another registered provider or to another fostering agency run by you.

Managers must apply for registration and pay a fee for each application. The manager must demonstrate that they have the qualifications, skills, knowledge and experience to meet the requirements of the independent fostering agency. You can read more information on what the manager can expect at interview in our Apply to register an independent fostering agency guide.

In a few cases, we receive applications from managers who are wholly unfit for registration because they are unable to meet the requirements in relation to integrity and good character in line with the Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011. In rare circumstances, some applicants may, similarly, be wholly unfit for registration due to lack of experience, skills and qualifications. For example, they have no knowledge of fostering or the associated regulations. We are likely to refuse these applicants at an early stage of the process.  

Managing multiple independent fostering agencies

A manager will usually only manage one independent fostering agency.      

We may consider registering a manager to manage 2 fostering services that are run by the same fostering provider. We only register managers if we are satisfied that they are able to demonstrate that they have the experience, knowledge and skills to be in full-time, day-to-day charge of each fostering service, and that the arrangements support the best outcomes for children.

In addition, we will consider: 

  • the reason for having one manager to manage both fostering services
  • the provider’s arrangements for oversight and support for the manager
  • the location of the agencies and the geographical spread of the manager’s responsibilities
  • the provider’s plans for when the manager is absent or the position becomes vacant

It is for the provider and manager to demonstrate to us how the arrangements will be effective.

The manager must complete an SC2 form for each agency they are applying to manage. Each registration is separate. We will consider each application on its own merits and make separate decisions about the manager’s suitability to manage each agency.

We will consider each application for registration and make our decision about whether to grant each registration in the order in which we receive the applications. 

If an existing registered manager is applying to register as the manager of an additional agency or branch, we will only make the registration decision about that application. 

Two managers for one independent fostering agency

Two individuals may apply to be registered managers of an independent fostering agency. This can be through a job share or more unusually 2 people working full-time to run the same agency. In either case, each person must complete an SC2 form and pay an application fee.  

We will consider how both managers will be held accountable for meeting the requirements of the Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011, the Fostering services: national minimum standards and the Children Act 1989: fostering services Guidance and Regulations, Volume 4, and how these relate to the size and scope of the proposed agency.

The provider must email sc.admin@ofsted.gov.uk before the individual managers apply. We will contact the applicants to discuss the arrangements. Proposed applicants should wait for a response from Ofsted before submitting an application.   

Panel and agency decision-maker 

Before registration can be granted, an agency must provide details of its appointed decision-maker.

The decision-maker must:

  • be a senior person within the fostering service, for example a trustee or director of the fostering service
  • be a social worker with at least 3 years’ post-qualifying experience in childcare social work
  • have knowledge of childcare law and practice

The agency must also confirm the safe recruitment of a quorate fostering panel.

The panel must include:

  • an independent chair
  • a vice chair (who is available in the absence of the panel chair)
  • a social worker who has at least 3 years’ post-qualifying experience
  • a least 3 other members

If an applicant is proposing to share a panel with 2 or more other fostering providers, the panel must include at least 4 other members.

This will also apply where a fostering provider is opening another fostering service within the same organisation, and there is a proposal to share the panel.

This does not need to be known at the time of application; however, we will discuss and confirm the arrangements as part of the registration interviews.  

Conditions of registration

We do not apply conditions of registration to fostering services, unless the provider is only providing early permanence services. In this situation, a condition is applied. If the fostering service diversifies in the future, to provide wider fostering services, you need to apply to Ofsted to remove the condition. 

Registration stages

The registration process consists of 3 stages:

  • the application
  • information gathering
  • determining suitability

Stage 1: application

The application should include:

When submitting an SC1 form, you will get a submission reference number. This is 14 characters long and includes numbers, hyphens and upper-case letters, for example ABCD-1234-1234.    

Once we confirm that all the information has been provided, we will ask you to pay the required fees. 

Once the required fees are paid, we will allocate a unique reference number (URN) for the agency, and we will start to process the information. Everyone who submitted an SC2 form as part of this application will be linked to this URN. The URN is a 6-digit number and is used to identify the application from this point in the process.

Having a URN does not mean you can operate. You must wait until Ofsted has granted your registration before you can operate.

Stage 2: information gathering

After we have accepted the application, we will contact the children’s services department for any local authority areas in which the individual has lived within the previous 5 years. We will ask the local authority whether it holds any relevant information about any of the individuals that may affect their suitability to provide care and have regular contact with children.

This information could include:

  • whether an individual has been connected with a child protection inquiry
  • whether an individual has had a child removed from their care
  • whether an individual is subject to ongoing investigations
  • whether there are any concerns that children may be at risk of harm on childcare premises
  • whether there are any previous childcare professional conduct concerns
  • request references
  • request further health checks if we require medical advice about any associated individual’s health and well-being

If necessary, we will discuss the information received from suitability checks with the associated individual as part of our decision-making process.

We will contact you to discuss the application and whether any additional information is required.

We may return the application if there are delays in receiving the necessary information; this is when we are ‘unable to determine your application’.

Unable to progress or determine an application

In some situations, we may be unable to process an application to the next stage or make a decision on it.

This may be because:

  • we do not have all the information we need
  • there are delays with your references
  • other agencies or regulators are carrying out ongoing investigations that involve you
  • individuals linked to the application leave or withdraw, and you do not identify anyone to replace them

If we are unable to progress an application, we will begin a formal process known as ‘unable to determine an application’. This will warn you that your application may be closed without a decision being made because we do not have all the information we need.

We do not start this process if there are delays in receiving information from local authority checks. We will continue to chase the information so that we can make a decision about the application.

If there is other missing or delayed information, we will write to you to tell you what information we require.

If you do not send us the information within 12 weeks of paying your registration fee, we may write to you to tell you that your application has been closed because we have been unable to process it without the relevant information. The fee you paid will not be refunded. Any people associated with the application will also have their applications closed down, and we will not refund their fees.

Applicants may re-apply in the future and pay another fee.

Stage 3: determining suitability

At this stage, the inspector will contact you to arrange interviews and ask you whether you need any reasonable adjustments.

Interviews may take place on different days, and we will arrange them with each individual concerned. The interview is your opportunity to meet the requirements of the regulations and guidance. Inspectors will usually interview both the proposed manager and the appointed responsible individual, even if we have interviewed the responsible individual before.

To reassure Ofsted of your suitability, the inspector will:

  • interview people in certain roles of responsibility
  • read and discuss all necessary documentation provided
  • review identified members of the panel
  • assess and evaluate all the information we have gathered

You can find more information on what to expect at the registration interview and what original documents you must provide in our Apply to register an independent fostering agency guide.

After the interviews, the inspector will go over with you: 

  • a summary of the evidence that they have collected
  • what happens next and the steps leading to a registration decision being made by the regulatory inspection manager

If new information is presented during the interview that requires further exploration, the inspector will usually give brief feedback about their likely recommendation unless they need to seek further advice.

You can withdraw your application at any time if you wish to do so.

Regional manager’s decision

Following the interviews, the inspector will discuss all the evidence with their regional manager. The regional manager will decide whether you will be registered. Occasionally, the regional manager may ask for more evidence before making their decision. In these cases, the inspector will contact you. 

The regional manager will make separate registration decisions for you and for the independent fostering agency manager. They will will grant or refuse registration, usually within 7 working days, and will send you one of the following:

  • a notice of decision to register
  • a notice of proposal to refuse registration

Notice of decision to register

The notice of decision to register confirms that you are now registered with us as a provider. We will send a registration certificate.

Registration certificate 

The registration certificate includes:

  • the URN
  • the name of the registered provider
  • the name of the registered manager (if applicable)
  • the name of the responsible individual (if applicable)
  • the name and address of the office of the independent fostering agency
  • the date of registration
  • any conditions that apply to the registration

Registration refusal

If we are not satisfied that the applicant can meet the regulatory requirements for registration, we will issue a notice of proposal to refuse the registration.

You will have the opportunity to tell us why we should not refuse the registration. To do this, you must write to us with reasons, also known as ‘representations’, within 28 days of the date that the notice of proposal is served. This time period cannot be extended.

If we do not receive a response within 28 days, we will send a notice of decision to refuse the application

For more information on the notice of proposal to refuse a registration, see the social care enforcement policy.

What happens if the application is refused

If we refuse the registration, this may have a negative impact on any application you or the manager make in the future.

Withdrawing an application 

You may withdraw your application by emailing sc.admin@ofsted.gov.uk. We will accept a withdrawal request if we have not already issued a notice of proposal to refuse. We will write to you if we have concerns about your fitness to register as a provider or manager to tell you that we will consider those concerns if you apply in the future.

Notice of proposal: request to withdraw

If we have issued a notice of proposal to refuse an application, you can ask to withdraw the application. We may not allow this, for example, if we have concerns about:

  • your ability to safeguard children
  • other relevant information in the application, for example offences that you have committed

If we refuse a withdrawal request, you can still appeal the notice of proposal. You can find more information in the social care enforcement policy.

If we decide to refuse the registration, we will issue a notice of decision to refuse the application.

Further information

You can go to our Apply to register an independent fostering agency guide for information on the application process, including the documents that you will need to apply and what to expect at interview.

You can read our Reporting changes about an independent fostering agency to Ofsted to find out more about what to expect when registered, including fee payment and making changes.

You can contact us if you need help with a query that is not covered in these guides or you do not understand what you need to do in your circumstances.

Legislation

The following legislative and regulatory frameworks underpin the registration, operation, and oversight of independent fostering agencies in England, ensuring that services meet the required standards of care, safety, and governance.

General legislation

Fostering legislation

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