The National Fostering Agency

Name

The National Fostering Agency

Legal name

National Fostering Group

Website

https://nfa.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foster Care Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE)

Keywords

• Foster care services
• Fostering agency
• Children's services
• Residential care
• Foster carer training

Headquarters

HQ city

Uxbridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foster Care Placement Services: National Fostering Group receives funding from local authorities and government bodies to place children in foster care with their network of 3000+ foster carers. The agency manages the recruitment, training, assessment, and ongoing support of foster carers while local authorities commission placement services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The National Fostering Agency (operating as National Fostering Group) recruits, trains, assesses, and supports a network of 3,000+ foster carers across 17 local UK agencies, delivering short-term, long-term, emergency, respite, and stayover foster care placements commissioned by local authorities. It provides a 7-step fostering journey from enquiry to placement, backed by 250+ specialist training courses, a 3-day Foundations to Foster program, generous fostering allowances, and community peer-support services.

Product overview

National Fostering Group operates as a unified fostering services platform offering multiple interconnected services. The core offering consists of foster care placement services (short-term, long-term, emergency, respite, and stayover fostering) supported by a comprehensive training ecosystem (Foundations to Foster 3-day program and 250+ specialist courses), assessment tools (Can I Foster Quiz), and community support services (local groups, buddying programme, online communities). The organization supports over 3,000 foster families across 17 local agencies throughout the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Short-Term Fostering

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,000+ foster children supported in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The Fostering NetworkcoreOthersThe Fostering Network is cited as a key reference organisation, with National Fostering Group referencing their statistic that 6,500 more foster carers are needed in England alone. The Fostering Network is a leading UK charity working to transform the lives of children in care through the foster care system.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Outcomes First Group: UK provider of specialist education and care for children and young people with complex needs, including fostering and residential services. Directly comparable to NFG as a large-scale, multi-site children's services platform with overlapping fostering and SEND offerings.
• Acorn Care and Education: UK provider of special education, residential, and fostering services for children with complex needs. Directly comparable to NFG in the fostering and SEND segments, and historically a NFG acquisition target, indicating close operational overlap.
• Foster Care Associates: One of the UK's largest independent fostering agencies, providing short-term, long-term, and emergency placements with a similar local-authority commissioning model. Operates as a direct competitor to NFG in the same fostering market.
• Five Rivers Child Care: UK independent fostering and residential care provider operating across multiple regions, recruiting and supporting foster carers for local authorities. Direct peer to NFG in service model, customer base, and geography.
• Compass Fostering: UK independent fostering agency providing short-term, long-term, respite, and emergency placements commissioned by local authorities. Competes head-to-head with NFG for both carers and local authority contracts.
• TACT (The Adolescent and Children's Trust): One of the UK's largest fostering charities, placing children with foster carers across multiple regions and commissioned by local authorities. Directly comparable to NFG in mission, funding model, and target population.
• Capstone Foster Care: UK independent fostering agency operating across multiple regions, providing short and long-term placements to local authorities. Competes with NFG for carers and placement contracts in overlapping geographies.
• Polaris Community: UK children's services group offering fostering, residential, and education services to local authorities. Operates a comparable multi-service, multi-site model similar to NFG's adjacent-services platform.

Broad incumbents

• Barnardo's: Largest UK children's charity, running fostering, adoption, and children's services programmes across the country. Comparable as a major commissioned provider to local authorities, though broader in scope than NFG's fostering focus.
• Action for Children: Major UK national charity providing fostering, family support, and children's services commissioned by local authorities. Overlaps with NFG in the fostering segment and as a large-scale children's services provider.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/860039

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A2 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about The National Fostering Agency