Statement of Purpose

At ABC Fostering, our mission is to provide the highest standard of care for every child by recruiting, developing, and supporting foster carers to meet the holistic needs of children and young people. We are committed to investing in comprehensive training and ongoing professional development for our carers and staff, ensuring they are equipped to offer safe, nurturing, and stable homes.

We champion each child’s individuality, wellbeing, and future potential, placing their best interests at the heart of every decision. Through strong partnerships and a child-centered approach, we strive to create environments where children and their carers feel valued, supported, and empowered.

Founded and operated by experienced frontline social workers and foster carers, we are committed to achieving positive outcomes by supporting and developing the professional capacity of our carers and staff.

We ensure that our services reflect the principles of safeguarding, inclusivity, emotional wellbeing, and personal development, with the child’s best interests at the centre of all decision-making.

Our Objectives

Provide safe, stable, and supportive family environments where children and young people are safeguarded and enabled to thrive emotionally, physically, socially, and educationally.
Recruit, assess, and approve foster carers who are committed, compassionate, and capable of meeting the diverse needs of children and young people placed with them.
Reinvest in carers and staff through continuous professional development, high-quality therapeutic training, regular supervision, and responsive out-of-hours support.
Promote placement stability and permanence by undertaking careful matching, offering enhanced support packages, and fostering resilience in carers and young people.
Champion the individuality and identity of each child, taking into account their culture, ethnicity, religion, language, gender, sexuality, and any specific needs or disabilities, and celebrating their interests and aspirations.
Ensure that the voice of the child is central to their care planning, encouraging meaningful participation in all decisions affecting them, and adapting services based on their feedback.
Maintain strong multi-agency partnerships with local authorities, health and education professionals, and other stakeholders to ensure integrated, effective support.
Embed reflective practice and therapeutic principles across all levels of service delivery to support recovery from trauma and promote emotional wellbeing.
Uphold equality, diversity, and inclusion in all areas of recruitment, training, support, and service delivery, fostering an environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity.
Regularly monitor and evaluate service quality through robust quality assurance systems, with a focus on continuous improvement in line with regulatory requirements and best practice standards.

Our Values and Principles

At ABC Fostering our work is grounded in a strong set of values that guide every decision, interaction, and placement. These principles underpin the care we provide and the professional culture we promote.

Respect: We treat every child, carer, and professional with dignity, empathy, and fairness. We value lived experience, individuality, and diverse perspectives.
Integrity: We act with honesty and transparency. We are accountable to those we serve and maintain the highest ethical standards in all aspects of our work.
Child-Centred Care: The voice, needs, and aspirations of children are central to everything we do. We strive to understand their world, respond to their needs, and support their growth.
Excellence through Reinvestment: We are committed to continuously reinvesting in our carers and staff — providing exceptional training, clinical input, and emotional support to raise the standard of care.
Inclusion and Identity: We celebrate difference and actively promote equality. We honour each child’s background, identity, culture, and future potential.
Therapeutic Practice: We support carers to understand trauma, build trusting relationships, and offer nurturing environments through reflective, evidence-based care models.
Partnership and Collaboration: We work openly and respectfully with local authorities, professionals, families, and communities to ensure joined-up care and shared responsibility.

Management and Staffing Structure

ABC Fostering is led by experienced foster carers and qualified social workers with frontline expertise in safeguarding, family support, and therapeutic care. This unique foundation informs every aspect of our leadership approach and ensures that decision-making is rooted in both lived experience and professional best practice.

Key Personnel:

Registered Manager: A qualified social worker with over 15 years’ experience in fostering and children’s services. Responsible for operational oversight, safeguarding, compliance, and staff supervision.
Responsible Individual: A qualified social worker with a background in social work/management, ensuring the agency meets its regulatory and governance obligations.
Supervising Social Workers (SSWs): Responsible for supporting, supervising, and developing foster carers. All SSWs are qualified, Social Work England-registered professionals with experience in fostering and child protection.
Panel Chair and Members: Provide independent scrutiny and advice on the approval, review, and support of foster carers. All panel members are recruited under safer recruitment protocols and trained in relevant legislation.

Governance and Oversight:

The leadership team meets regularly to review quality assurance data, audit outcomes, safeguarding matters, and feedback from carers and children.
Supervision and appraisal are provided for all staff in line with their responsibilities and roles.
Our agency supports a culture of reflective practice, continuous learning, and child-centred leadership.
We aim to maintain low caseloads to ensure meaningful support for carers and effective oversight of each placement.

Recruitment and Approval of Foster Carers

At ABC Fostering we recruit, assess, and approve foster carers who demonstrate compassion, emotional insight, and a strong commitment to meeting the individual needs of children and young people.

As a foster carer-led agency, we understand the importance of selecting carers who are not only capable but also supported from the outset with high-quality training, realistic expectations, and therapeutic insight.

Our Recruitment Process includes:

Initial enquiry and information session, offering potential carers honest insight into the role.
Home visit by a qualified social worker to assess motivation, environment, and initial suitability.
Comprehensive Form F assessment, carried out by experienced and Social Work England-registered assessors.
Enhanced DBS and medical checks, plus personal, employer, and household references.
Pre-approval training, covering safeguarding, child development, trauma, safer care, and diversity.
Panel presentation and approval decision, guided by safer recruitment practices and fostering regulations.

Key Principles:

We welcome applications from individuals and families of all backgrounds, regardless of relationship status, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, or living arrangements.
We apply values-based recruitment, prioritising emotional resilience, curiosity, and the capacity for therapeutic care.
We ensure transparent, supportive assessment, with clear communication and guidance throughout.
All foster carers are supported through the Training, Support and Development Standards (TSD) within 12 months of approval.
We view recruitment as the beginning of a collaborative, long-term professional relationship, not a one-off process.

Foster Carer Training and Support

At ABC Fostering we believe that exceptional fostering starts with exceptional support. As a foster carer-led agency, we understand first-hand the challenges and rewards of caring for vulnerable children; and we are committed to providing carers with the tools, knowledge, and encouragement they need to succeed.

Training Offer:

All prospective carers complete a mandatory pre-approval training course, which includes safeguarding, child development, trauma and attachment, safer caring, and equality and diversity.
Post-approval, carers follow a personal development pathway tailored to their experience, placement type, and child needs.
Training is delivered via a combination of face-to-face sessions, online modules, group workshops, and therapeutic consultations.
We support all carers to complete the Training, Support and Development Standards (TSD) within 12 months of approval.
Additional specialist modules are available, including therapeutic parenting, parent and child placements, adolescent care, UASC, and neurodiversity.

Carer Support:

Each carer is allocated a dedicated Supervising Social Worker (SSW), responsible for providing regular visits, placement supervision, and personal development support.
We offer 24/7 on-call support, delivered by qualified and experienced staff.
Foster carers are invited to attend support groups, peer learning forums, reflective practice sessions, and celebration events.
Carers have access to consultation with therapeutic professionals, and we actively encourage reflective parenting approaches and emotional support networks.

Our Commitment:

We treat our carers as professional partners, not just providers.
We continuously reinvest in training and development to raise standards and keep pace with the evolving needs of children and young people.
We listen to feedback and adapt our offer to ensure that every carer feels equipped, valued, and supported throughout their fostering journey.

Placement Types Offered

ABC Fostering offers a wide range of high-quality, well-supported fostering placements that respond flexibly to the individual needs of children and young people. Our aim is to ensure that each placement is safe, stable, and tailored to promote the child’s emotional, social, and educational development.

Emergency placements: Immediate short-notice placements to safeguard children at risk.
Short-term placements: Care for children while assessments are completed, or longer-term plans are made.
Long-term placements: Stable placements supporting children until adulthood or transition to independence.
Bridging placements: Time-limited care preparing children for reunification, adoption, or other transitions including Interim Care Orders.
Parent and child placements: Supporting parents and their babies/young children in a family setting while assessments or support plans are carried out.
Respite care: Short breaks to support families or carers in maintaining stable placements.
Sibling group placements: Where suitable, we prioritise keeping siblings together to maintain familial bonds.
Therapeutic placements: All placements are supported by our trained team in therapeutic parenting principles, and matched to carers with the appropriate skills and support.
Staying Put arrangements: Where appropriate, young people can remain with their foster carers post-18 for continuity and support into adulthood.

Matching Process:

The child’s history, identity, and needs
Carer strengths, experience, and training
Household composition, availability, and suitability
Emotional safety, cultural appropriateness, and continuity (e.g. schooling, routines)

Each placement is accompanied by a bespoke support package, including regular supervision, therapeutic input where needed, and risk management planning.

Matching and Care Planning

At ABC Fostering we believe that a successful fostering placement starts with thoughtful, careful matching. We approach each referral as an opportunity to secure a placement where the child will be safe, supported, and empowered to grow; emotionally, socially, and academically.

Matching Process:

A comprehensive review of the child’s referral information, including identity, trauma history, health, education, contact needs, and cultural or faith background.
In-depth knowledge of our carers, including their experience, household dynamics, training history, and capacity to meet specific needs.
Consideration of existing placements to protect emotional wellbeing, maintain stability, and minimise risk.
Engagement with the child’s social worker, existing professionals, and (where appropriate) the child themselves, to ensure their voice informs the decision.

Planning Framework:

A Placement Planning Meeting is held at the start of each placement, including carers, the child’s social worker, our supervising social worker, and other relevant professionals.
The plan outlines all relevant aspects of care, including delegated authority, health and education arrangements, contact with family and significant others, support needs and risk management.
Each placement plan is guided by the child’s Care Plan and Pathway Plan and is reviewed regularly.
Our supervising social workers and carers contribute to Looked After Child (LAC) reviews and Personal Education Plans (PEPs).

Therapeutic Considerations:

Emotional safety
Sensory and behavioural regulation
Cultural and identity fit
Opportunities for growth and healing

Where needed, therapeutic consultation and carer mentoring are integrated into the care planning process to help carers respond effectively to each child’s needs.