Fostering Foundation

What Fostering Foundation does

The Fostering Foundation is a therapeutic Independent Fostering Agency (IFA) registered in England and Wales (company number 06445595), founded in 1999 by Geoff Lewis. The organization recruits, trains, and supervises foster carers to provide placements for looked-after children, with a clinical model built around PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, Empathy) and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) approaches delivered by qualified therapeutic practitioners. Service lines include standard fostering, Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC), Parent & Child placements, and a Staying Put program that supports young people to age 21.

The business is anchored in the South West of England, with a registered office in Bristol (Kingswood) and operational offices in Cullompton (Devon) and Tavistock, serving local authority commissioning areas across Devon, Cornwall, Torbay, Plymouth, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Swindon, and Bristol. The headcount is small (approximately 20 named staff), consistent with a regional IFA operating at modest scale. The registered Fostering Network membership and Ofsted-regulated status provide sector standing and access to training and policy infrastructure.

Revenue mechanics follow the standard UK IFA model: local authorities pay weekly fees per child, of which a defined allowance (£420-£770 per week) is passed through to foster carers, with the agency retaining a management fee for supervision, training, therapeutic support, and compliance. This creates absolute dependency on local authority commissioning budgets and procurement frameworks as the primary customer base, with foster carers functioning as the supply side rather than paying customers.

Name

Fostering Foundation

Legal name

The Fostering Foundation

Website

https://fosteringfoundation.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Fostering Foundation is a therapeutic Independent Fostering Agency founded in 1999, providing trauma-informed foster placements (including UASC, Parent & Child, and Staying Put) for local authority-commissioned looked-after children across the South West of England from offices in Bristol, Cullompton, and Tavistock.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Fostering Agency Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

Keywords

• Foster care services
• Therapeutic fostering agency
• Social services contracting
• Foster carer recruitment
• Children's residential care

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingswood, Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fostering Placement Contracts: The agency generates revenue through contracts with local authorities for the provision of fostering services. Foster carers receive weekly subsistence payments (£420-£770) funded through local authority commissioning arrangements. The agency acts as an intermediary, receiving funding from local authorities and distributing allowances to foster carers while providing support services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Fostering Foundation is a therapeutic independent fostering agency that recruits, assesses, trains, and supports foster carers across South West England, delivering short-term, long-term, sibling, parent & child, UASC, respite, and 'Staying Put' placements on behalf of local authorities. It provides trauma-informed therapeutic support using PACE and DDP approaches, mandatory pre-approval training, ongoing e-learning, 24/7 helpline, peer support groups, and weekly carer allowances of £420–£770, acting as an intermediary between commissioning local authorities and self-employed foster carers.

Product overview

The Fostering Foundation is a therapeutic independent fostering agency offering a comprehensive portfolio of fostering services across the South West of England. The core offerings include short-term, long-term, sibling, parent & child, and respite fostering placements, as well as specialized care for Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) and 'Staying Put' arrangements for young adults transitioning to independence. The organization provides an integrated support ecosystem encompassing therapeutic services (using PACE and DDP approaches), Foundations To Foster pre-approval training, ongoing training platforms, local and virtual therapeutic support groups, and a 24/7 helpline. Financial services include weekly allowances ranging from £420-£770. The agency also recruits Panel Members and Form F Assessors as part of its staffing and assessment services. The portfolio functions as a unified service offering with the therapeutic framework and support infrastructure connecting all service types.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Short Term (ST) Fostering
• Long Term (LT) Fostering
• Sibling Fostering
• Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) & Refugees Fostering
• Parent & Child (P&C) Fostering
• Staying Put
• Therapeutic Support Services
• Foundations To Foster Training
• Ongoing Training Platform
• Support Groups
• 24/7 Helpline
• Foster Carer Financial Package
• Planned Breaks (Respite Care)
• Form F Assessment Services
• Independent Fostering Panel Recruitment

Quantifiable outcome

• 24/7 helpline availability for foster carers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Fostering NetworkminorOthersFostering Foundation provides Fostering Network Membership to all foster carers, offering extra resources, advice, and support beyond what the agency directly provides.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Compass Fostering: Independent fostering agency operating across multiple UK regions with short-term, long-term, parent and child, and therapeutic fostering services. Comparable local-authority-funded placement model, regional office structure, and therapeutic specialisation.
• Foster Care Associates: Large UK independent fostering agency providing fostering placements, specialist services, and therapeutic support to local authorities nationwide. Comparable service portfolio and commissioning model, though operating at broader geographic scale.
• Capstone Foster Care: UK independent fostering agency providing short-term, long-term, sibling, parent and child, and specialist fostering placements through local authority contracts. Closely comparable therapeutic positioning, regional multi-office footprint, and contracted revenue model to The Fostering Foundation.
• Polaris Community: Independent fostering agency operating across multiple UK regions with therapeutic fostering, parent and child assessments, and specialist placements. Comparable therapeutic specialisation, service mix, and contracted revenue structure to The Fostering Foundation.
• TACT (The Adolescent and Children's Trust): UK charity and independent fostering agency providing fostering, supported lodgings, and therapeutic services to local authorities. Comparable placement types (short-term, long-term, parent & child) and local authority contract-based revenue model.
• Five Rivers Child Care: Independent fostering and residential provider delivering fostering, parent and child assessments, and therapeutic services across multiple UK regions with trauma-informed approaches. Closely comparable service mix, therapeutic framing, and local authority commissioning model.

Broad incumbents

• Barnardo's: Large UK children's charity providing fostering, adoption, and broader child welfare services. Overlaps with The Fostering Foundation on fostering placements and therapeutic support but as part of a much wider children's services portfolio.
• National Fostering Group: Largest UK independent fostering agency group, operating across multiple regions with a broad portfolio of fostering services. Directly comparable to The Fostering Foundation in core service offering, but operates at national scale across many geographies rather than a single region.
• Action for Children: Major UK children's services charity running fostering services alongside wider children's social care, family support, and residential programmes. Comparable fostering service line but operates as a broader social-services incumbent rather than a dedicated fostering specialist.

Emerging players

• ISP Fostering: UK fostering agency providing fostering placements and therapeutic support across regional footprints. Comparable core offering and local authority contracting, though typically smaller and more recently established than the larger incumbents.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fostering-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Fostering Foundation