Policy

Foster care: a manifesto for change

The Fostering Network has set out its four main campaigning strands for the future in a Manifesto for change document.

Four individual discussion papers helped define the key elements of the manifesto:

• Allowances for foster carers
• Fees for foster carers
• Support for foster carers
• Training for foster carers

Other Fostering Network discussion papers

• Towards a professional foster care service: what it means to be a professional foster carer, April 2008 (PDF, 347KB)
  This policy paper is the culmination of many months of consultation with foster carers, social workers and other key professionals in all four nations to produce a definitive statement of where fostering is today and how the Fostering Network believes it should develop over the coming years. It argues that we are moving towards a professional foster care service and that, as we do so, we need to understand what it means to be a professional foster carer. We make the case for why foster carers should be regarded as professionals, and put forward recommendations for how the foster carer role needs to be better supported, enhanced and recompensed if foster carers are truly to be recognised as key partners in the team surrounding the child and valid members of the children’s workforce.
• Foster carers and smoking, June 2007 (PDF, 201KB)
  The paper considers how the smoking ban will affect foster carers in England and makes recommendations for fostering providers about foster carers who smoke.
• Moving on from foster care, April 2007 (PDF, 280KB)
  This policy paper advocates that all young people must have the option of staying with their foster carers until the age of 21.
  More information on the campaign and the Early Day Motion.
• Long-term foster care, October 2006 (PDF, 390KB)
  The Fostering Network, in discussion with academics and practitioners from across the fostering spectrum, has produced a policy paper and consultation on long-term foster care. The policy makes recommendations to government for a framework for change.
  More information on the campaign and the executive summary of the policy paper, (PDF, 238KB).
• Registration of foster carers, March 2006 (PDF, 57KB)
  This paper makes the case for the national registration of foster carers and argues that registration has a role to play in improving the quality of foster carers.

• Improving the educational achievements of looked-after children, March 2006 (PDF, 202KB)
  This paper summarises what we know about the reasons for the very poor educational achievements of looked-after children and makes a number of recommendations. If you do not want to read the full report, try the executive summary.

For information and resources on issues affecting foster carers, fostering services and looked-after children and young people, visit our Foster Care Resource Centre.