Submitting evidence to the national stocktake of foster care provision, the National Association of Fostering Providers (NAFP), a membership organisation for independent fostering providers, said the widespread policy of councils opting for in-house fostering placements over those offered by the independent sector is resulting in children being moved from successful independent placements when in-house provision becomes available.
"We have huge concern at the practice of "in-house first", where local authorities place with their own foster carers regardless of potentially better matches in the independent sector," the NAFP response states.
"Every local authority has this policy. This undermines the principle of needs-based foster care. It is centred not on the needs of the child, but on the needs of the authority.
"There is no doubt that some children do not go to the best placement for them as a result of this policy."
The practice is creating unnecessary disruption for children who are forced to move and can impact on their mental health by generating feelings of rejection, the NAFP response states.
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