Local Authorities

First Steps Fostering is an independent fostering agency dedicated to providing outstanding parent and child fostering provisions. We endeavour to place children at the heart of our organisation. In agreement with the Children Act 1989, we subscribe to the view that a child is best brought up in their own home with both parents playing a full part in their upbringing. Our foster carers are supported to assist parents in learning how to safely care for their children well. We recognise that this is not always possible and as an agency, work alongside Local Authorities to achieve permanence for children at the earliest opportunity.  

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First Steps Fostering Agency aims to:  

• Provide foster care placements and support packages for children and their parent (s) that offer a stable and consistent experience of family life, to enhance and maximise their life opportunities.  

• Recruit and retain foster carers from diverse backgrounds thus ensuring a range of appropriate placements for children and young people.  

• Respect and promote the ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic backgrounds of children and their parent(s)  

• Make high quality matches between children, parent(s), and foster families where the skills and experience of the foster family provides the foundation for the improvement of the child’s life and increases the skillset of their parent(s)  

• Develop a fostering service where partnership, working professionalism, respect, integrity, and fairness are central to all aspects of the operations and provisions.  

• Always apply a children-centred approach where the welfare of the child is at the centre of everyone's thinking and actions.  

• Assist the Local Authorities in improving the well-being of children in every aspect of their lives including Five Outcomes as per ‘Every Child Matters.’  

• Provide a responsive, supportive, and professional 24-hour service for foster carers, children, their parent(s), and Local Authorities.  

• Provide a commitment to the ongoing learning and professional development of the agency, foster carers, and staff by ensuring a diverse training programme is available.  

• Ensure that the voice of the child is heard within the work that we do and that their needs are central to services. 

• Establish, review, and maintain policies and procedures that will comply with legislative and statutory requirements and expectations.  

• Our foster carers can expect a minimum of weekly (as necessary) supervisory visits along with a minimum of three unannounced visit a year.  

• Supervising Social Workers will keep in regular contact with their carers with more frequent visiting if required. 

• Regular progress reports will be sent to the placing authority sharing the progress of the child and their parent(s)  

• All carers must meet the competencies set out by the TSDS within twelve months of approval and will be supported by their supervising Social Worker and a comprehensive training programme to achieve this.