When you first step into the world of fostering you may have come across the term IFA and wondered what an IFA is and how they differ from your local authority when it comes to fostering.
Fostering with your local authority
When you foster with your local authority you provide a huge contribution to your local area and the children within it.
Your local authority will always prioritise keeping children in the area they know. This is not only beneficial to the child, as their existing relationships and routines are less likely to be disrupted, but it is also beneficial to foster carers due to things like access to local council support and resources, reduced travel time to schools, appointments and family time. On top of this, due to the preference of keeping a child close to the area they know, local authority foster carers will always be approached first when a child needs a home.
As you can see fostering with your local authority has a huge amount of benefits, for both yourself and the children in your local community.
What a fostering hub is and who Foster with us are
To make the fostering process more simple and efficient while providing a point of contact for foster carers, fostering hubs are a government funded service where local authorities work together to recruit, provide training and start the assessment process. This means that by starting your fostering journey through a hub, such as Foster with us, you will be fostering directly with your local authority. This means that children are able to stay in their local area, in the same school and maintain local friendships.
Foster with us is a hub that works on behalf of Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Cumberland, Lancashire, and Westmorland and Furness local councils. We provide the same services as an IFA, such as sourcing, recruiting, assessing, training foster carer applicants in a not-for-profit capacity, while maintaining all the benefits you get from fostering with your local authority.
It is worth noting that the children’s social worker will always be from the local authority, so close working relationships often already exist if you foster with your local council as opposed to an IFA.
With your local council:
- you care for local children. You’ll be supporting children who are already part of your community by helping them stay near their schools, friends, and family
- you’re the first choice for placements. Local council foster carers are always approached first when a child needs a home, which means you are less likely to wait a long time between placements. IFAs are usually contacted only if no local carers are available
- you receive consistent support. You’ll have a dedicated social worker, local training opportunities, and access to a strong community of other local carers. You will not need to travel far to receive this
- you’re part of a not-for-profit service. All funding goes directly into supporting children and carers, not private profit. Every penny benefits your local community
- you get access to specialist services. Councils can directly link you with education, health, and emotional wellbeing teams, giving you wraparound support for the children in your care
What an IFA is
An IFA, also known as an independent fostering agency, are usually a private organisations that provide a full range of services from sourcing, recruiting, assessing, training and supporting foster carers through their fostering journey.
Although they are private organisations and are not directly associated with your local authority, both work alongside each other to find homes for children when no local homes are available.
As they are private organisations, IFAs aren’t usually not for profit whereas local councils are government funded.
With an independent fostering agency (IFA):
- you may care for children from outside your area. Because IFAs are contacted after local council foster carer availability has been explored first, children are often placed further from their home communities, which can mean you’re fostering children from different parts of the region or even the country
- you may need to travel more. Meetings, training sessions, school runs, and family time are often held near the child’s home area, not yours. This can mean extra travel time and costs for appointments or visits
- support and training vary by agency. Each IFA has its own structure, training offer, and support package. It’s important to research what each agency provides so you can find the right fit for you
- payment levels differ between organisations. Some IFAs offer higher allowances, which reflect how they’re funded and managed as independent providers. Most operate on a profitable basis, meaning part of their funding covers business costs and profit margins rather than being reinvested directly into local services. Even non-profit IFAs generally charge local councils a higher rate for placements, reflecting the additional costs of running a third-party service
As you can see, there is no real right or wrong when choosing between an IFA or your local authority. At the end of the day the important thing is that safe, secure homes are provided for the children that need them, where they can reach their potential and achieve permanence.
If you would like to learn more about fostering for your local council, please get in touch via our enquiry form, or by calling 0300 019 0200.
