Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that foster care is of the highest possible standard.

Ofsted is responsible for the regulation and inspection of all independent fostering services and includes local authority fostering services within their wider inspection protocol.

In 2013, the government streamlined and strengthened the assessment and approval process for foster carers. All foster carers continue to undergo a full and comprehensive assessment before they are approved by a fostering service. Supporting the recruitment and retention of foster carers is a priority - it is through the skills and dedication of these foster carers and those who work with them that we will improve outcomes for looked-after children. From 2013 to 2015, the government also invested £750,000 to support four local authority regional consortia to develop innovative strategies to help them recruit and retain the foster carers they need in their local area. In April 2015, the government also amended regulations to introduce ‘long term foster care’ as a distinct placement type. In cases such as these, statutory guidance is clear that the local authority should assess the ability of the identified foster carer to care for the child (this may be the foster carers currently looking after the child, or new carers who are best able to meet the child’s needs).