Key Documents
Fostering services: National Minimum Standards
Author: Department for Education
Key Document Type: Guidance
Date Published: March 2011
Department for Education
This document contains the National Minimum Standards (NMS) applicable to the provision of fostering services. The NMS, together with Regulations relevant to the placement of children in foster care such as the Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011 (the 2011 Regulations), form the basis of the regulatory framework under the Care Standards Act 2000 (CSA) for the conduct of fostering services.
The NMS for fostering services are issued by the Secretary of State under section 23 of the CSA 2000. The Secretary of State will keep the standards under review and may publish amended standards as appropriate.
Minimum standards do not mean standardisation of provision. The standards are designed to be applicable to the wide variety of different types of fostering service. They aim to enable, rather than prevent, individual providers to develop their own particular ethos and approach based on evidence that this is the most appropriate way to meet the child’s needs.
The standards include:
General introduction
Child focused standards
Standards of fostering service
Click here to be taken to the full text of this document.
For Wales, see
National minimum standards for fostering services.
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