What Nationwide Association of Fostering Providers does

The Nationwide Association of Fostering Providers (NAFP) is a not-for-profit membership trade association registered as a company in England & Wales (No. 06717310), founded in 2008 and headquartered at Windsor House, Bayshill Road, Cheltenham. It is the only organisation that campaigns solely for independent fostering agencies (IFAs) and the children they care for across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales; NAFP members care for approximately 97% of children living with IFA foster carers across these four nations, drawn from at least 167 member agencies.

NAFP does not develop proprietary technology products. Its delivery stack is built on standard digital platforms — a White Fuse-powered website, Google Groups for member email networking, Zoom for member meetings, and Google Meet for online seminars and regional partnership meetings. Member services comprise a weekly themed online best practice group, a weekly email bulletin, a comprehensive commissioning-arrangements database, bi-monthly regional video partnership meetings with local authorities, specialist email groups (registered managers, panel chairs, GDPR, small IFAs, UASC, Scotland members), specialist briefings, and regular seminars delivered with training partners including Catherine Lockett Fostering Services and Skyrocket.

Revenue is generated exclusively through tiered annual membership subscriptions structured in 13 brackets based on the number of children placed by each member agency, ranging from £507.19/yr (0–24 children, Tier 5d) to £19,663.09/yr (2,200+ children, Tier 1a). Any surplus is reinvested into campaigning and member services. Three-year renewal rates of 100%, 98% and 99.5% demonstrate very high member retention. The organisation is led by Chief Executive Harvey Gallagher, with a Board drawn from an elected Executive representing each membership tier.

Name

Nationwide Association of Fostering Providers

Legal name

Nationwide Association of Fostering Providers

Website

https://nafp.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Nationwide Association of Fostering Providers is a UK-wide not-for-profit trade association, founded in 2008, that exclusively campaigns for independent fostering agencies across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, with 167+ members caring for roughly 97% of IFA-placed children and funded by tiered annual membership subscriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Safeguarding, Accountability & Compliance (ESG, Gender/GBV, Do No Harm) (BPADAEAM)

Keywords

• Fostering sector advocacy
• Independent fostering agencies
• Membership trade association
• Child care services
• Sector representation

Headquarters

HQ city

Cheltenham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership subscriptions: NAFP generates revenue exclusively through tiered annual membership fees based on the number of children placed by member agencies. The organization is explicitly registered as a not-for-profit company, with any surplus reinvested into campaign activities and member services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NAFP is a not-for-profit membership trade association that campaigns solely for independent fostering agencies (IFAs) and the children they care for across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Members pay tiered annual subscriptions and receive sector-wide advocacy, best practice groups, a commissioning database, weekly bulletins, regional partnership meetings, specialist briefings, seminars and one-to-one support. Any surplus is reinvested into campaign activity and member services.

Product overview

NAFP is a not-for-profit membership organization (registered as a company in England & Wales, No. 06717310) that campaigns for independent fostering agencies (IFAs) and the children they care for across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Founded in 2008, NAFP does not offer a software product but provides membership services including: weekly themed best practice groups, weekly members' email bulletins, a commissioning arrangements database, bi-monthly regional video partnership meetings, representation with local authority commissioning consortia, one-to-one support from NAFP associates, email groups on topics including registered managers, panel chairs, GDPR, and small IFAs, networks for IFA panel chairs, registered managers, responsible individuals and agency decision makers, specialist briefings, regular seminars on sector issues, and advocacy to government across the UK. NAFP members care for around 97% of children living with IFA foster carers. Membership is tiered based on the number of children placed, ranging from Tier 5d (0-24 children, £507.19/year) to Tier 1a (2200+ children, £19,663.09/year). The organization also provides a directory of independent social workers, panel advisers, medical advisers and others available to undertake work for IFAs. The primary digital touchpoints are the nafp.org.uk website (powered by White Fuse) and various member-only resources including Google Groups for practice sharing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NAFP IFA Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% of children living with IFA foster carers are cared for by NAFP members
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• BookTrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBookTrust is a reading charity that has partnered with NAFP to promote shared reading as a relational practice in foster care. Through joint content and webinars, BookTrust provides resources and guidance on using shared reading to build children's sense of permanence, safety and belonging. NAFP has featured BookTrust's work and resources on their blog and during Foster Care Fortnight.
• Catherine Lockett Fostering ServicescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCatherine Lockett Fostering Services is a training partner that NAFP works with to deliver online seminars on fostering topics. Catherine Lockett is a registered social worker with 41 years of experience in social care settings who serves as a NAFP associate and takes a lead on practice discussions.
• SkyrocketcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSkyrocket is identified as a training partner that NAFP works with to deliver online seminars covering the latest fostering developments and best practice sharing.
• Guardian Saints CICcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuardian Saints CIC is a cyber and data protection specialist that has collaborated with NAFP on multiple initiatives including webinars on improving access to care records, cyber security in fostering agencies, and data protection compliance. NAFP and Guardian Saints hosted a joint webinar on the ICO's Better Records Together campaign.
• AdoptionpluscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdoptionplus collaborated with NAFP to develop and promote the Thinking About Your Child - Revised (TAYC-R) measure, a validated tool for tracking relationship quality between carers and children in care. The digital TAYC-R is one of only five measures recommended by the Department for Education for accessing the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• National Children's Bureau: Major UK children's services charity influencing policy and practice across the children's sector. Comparable as a policy advocacy and member-serving organization, though NCB operates at a broader policy level rather than as an IFA trade body.
• CoramBAAF: Long-established UK membership body covering adoption, fostering and children's services more broadly. Comparable as a sector trade and best-practice association, but with a wider portfolio spanning adoption, kinship and permanence work rather than IFAs alone.
• Care England: The largest representative body for independent care providers in England. Comparable as a trade association advocating for independent social care providers to government, though its core remit is adult social care rather than fostering specifically.

Direct peers

• The Fostering Network: UK-wide membership organization for foster carers, fostering services and children in care. Closest direct peer to NAFP but focuses on individual carers rather than solely on independent fostering agencies, giving NAFP a more targeted IFA-specific niche.

Emerging players

• Adoption UK: UK charity supporting adoptive families and adopters with policy, training and peer networks. Adjacent to NAFP in the looked-after-children space, with overlapping regulatory and policy interests but a focus on adoption rather than fostering.
• New Family Social: UK charity supporting LGBT+ foster carers and adopters. A niche peer operating in the fostering space with a membership and community model similar to NAFP's, though focused on a specific carer demographic.
• Family Rights Group: UK charity advising parents, kinship carers and family members in care proceedings. Adjacent peer in the looked-after-children advocacy space, with overlapping policy influence but no direct trade-body role for IFAs.
• Children England: Umbrella membership body for charities working with children and families in England. Comparable as a sector membership association engaging with government and regulators, though covering a broader children's-services remit than NAFP's IFA focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCuy6taSh__4SRYcBPPRH6Gg
• Facebookfacebook.com/theNAFP
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nationwide-association-of-fostering-providers
• Instagraminstagram.com/thenafp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Nationwide Association of Fostering Providers