Foster Care Associates

Name

Foster Care Associates

Legal name

Polaris

Website

https://thefca.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foster Care Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child Care Services (6244)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC), Therapy-Integrated Childcare Support (coordination with OT/PT/SLP/ABA) (HSAAAIAM), Mental Health & Emotional/Trauma-Informed Childcare (anxiety, PTSD) (HSAAAIAI)

Keywords

• Foster care services
• Fostering agency
• Children social care
• Foster placement
• Local authority fostering

Headquarters

HQ city

Bromsgrove

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Foster Care Placement Fees: FCA generates revenue through contracted placements with local authorities across the UK. Local authorities pay for foster care services when children are placed with FCA-approved foster parents. The agency also receives government funding and regulatory support for looked-after children services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Foster Care Associates (FCA) is a UK independent fostering agency that recruits, assesses, trains, and supports foster parents to provide foster care placements for children and young people referred by local authorities. Services include multiple fostering types (short-term, long-term, emergency, respite, parent and child, sibling groups, disability, sanctuary-seeking children, teenagers, step-down), 24/7 social work support, therapeutic services, training programs, and competitive fostering allowances, delivered through 13 regional teams across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

Product overview

Foster Care Associates (FCA) is one of the UK's largest independent fostering agencies, offering a comprehensive suite of foster care services. The core offering includes various types of fostering placements (short-term, long-term, emergency, respite, parent and child, sibling, disability, sanctuary-seeking children, and teenagers), backed by 24/7 support, training programs, and competitive allowances. The organization operates through regional sub-brands across the UK (North East, South East, Western, Cymru/Wales, and others), each providing localized services. Supporting products include the 'Being in Care Hub' portal for young people in care, Form F assessment services for prospective foster parents, the 'Let's Talk About Fostering' podcast, fostering guides and resources, a transfer program for joining from other agencies, and a refer-a-friend scheme. FCA Cymru operates as a not-for-profit service with Welsh-language support through 'Maethu yng Nghymru'.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% of foster parents would recommend FCA South East
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• FosterTalkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFosterTalk provides free independent advice and support to FCA foster parents. All FCA foster parents in Wales receive free membership to FosterTalk as part of their support package.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Five Rivers Child Care: One of the UK's largest independent fostering agencies, offering a comparable range of fostering placements, residential care, and education services across multiple English regions. Directly comparable in scale, multi-region operating model, and local authority commissioning mix.
• Compass Fostering: UK independent fostering agency providing foster placements, respite, and specialist therapeutic services. Comparable in fostering placement types, geographic footprint, and reliance on local authority referrals.
• National Fostering Agency (NFA): Independent UK fostering agency offering short-term, long-term, and specialist foster placements nationwide. Closely comparable operating model and local authority customer base.
• TACT (The Adolescent and Children's Trust): One of the UK's largest fostering and adoption charities, providing foster placements and supported lodgings across multiple regions. Comparable in offering breadth and local authority commissioning relationships, with a charity (non-profit) operating model.
• Capstone Foster Care: UK independent fostering agency providing short-term, long-term, and specialist placements (including parent and child) with regional teams across England. Comparable in services, target customer base, and regulatory oversight.
• Excel Fostering: Independent UK fostering agency offering mainstream and specialist foster placements. Comparable in target customer (local authorities), service mix, and regulatory positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Action for Children: Large UK children's charity offering fostering, adoption, residential care, and family support services. Comparable as a major UK fostering provider, but operates as a broad incumbent across the wider children's services portfolio rather than specializing in fostering.
• Barnardo's: One of the UK's largest children's charities, providing fostering and adoption services alongside many other children's services. Comparable as a large fostering provider to local authorities, but with a much broader service portfolio.
• Catch22: UK not-for-profit social business providing fostering, leaving care, and broader children's and young people's services. Comparable as a large fostering provider to local authorities, with a broader social services portfolio.

Others

• Polaris Community: Parent organisation of FCA, operating broader children's services including fostering, residential, and education services. Comparable as the corporate parent group that FCA sits within; relevant for ownership and capital structure analysis.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FCAFostering
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@fosteringwithfca
• Facebookfacebook.com/fcafostering
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/core-assets-fostering
• Instagraminstagram.com/foster_care_associates

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Foster Care Associates