Five Rivers Fostering Service London and East

I fostered with Five Rivers for many years, caring for children with enhanced and complex needs. My early experience with the agency was generally good, making the events leading to my resignation particularly disappointing.

My concerns relate to support during challenging placements, communication and transparency, financial transparency, training, and the way allegations and Standards of Care (SOC) investigations were managed.

When placements became increasingly complex, I did not feel the level of professional support matched the needs of either the children or my fostering household. Requests for additional support were not addressed, leaving us feeling isolated during difficult periods.

Communication often lacked transparency. I found that carers were not always clearly informed of the nature of concerns or allegations at the outset of an investigation and, in my experience, often only became aware of the detail of the investigation when an appointment was made with the investigative officer – which was often weeks into the SOC/allegations. During this period, I felt there was very little practical support from either the agency or my Supervising Social Worker, leaving carers uncertain about the process and the allegations they were expected to respond to.

I was also concerned that investigation reports were prepared by individuals who had no direct knowledge of me or my household. From my experience, the reports relied heavily on summaries of information rather than allowing carers access to the underlying evidence from professionals. This made it difficult to meaningfully challenge or verify the findings. Previous concerns, even where no action had been taken, could also be referenced in a way that I felt was prejudicial. In addition, access to CHARMS was removed during investigations, limiting carers’ ability to check information held on their records. These comments relate to my experience within Five Rivers London & East and may not reflect practice in other regions.

Financial transparency was another concern. On several occasions, carers questioned whether they had received the correct fostering allowance, particularly for enhanced or complex placements, and often had to justify why a higher rate should apply, even though the agency was receiving the higher rate from from the authority from the onset of the placement.

Training opportunities rarely progressed beyond Level 3, and some of the best trainers no longer provided training, resulting in what I felt was a decline in training quality.

Finally, foster carer representatives gave considerable time voluntarily to support the agency and fellow carers. While their contribution was appreciated in words, I felt that the incentives offered did not adequately recognise the commitment involved.

After many years of fostering, I lost confidence in the agency’s ability to support foster carers fairly, particularly when concerns or allegations arise.

There are dedicated individuals within Five Rivers who genuinely care about children and foster carers, and I remain grateful to those who supported me throughout my fostering journey.

I hope the agency reflects on the experiences of foster carers and continues to improve transparency, procedural fairness, communication, training and support. Doing so would benefit foster carers and, most importantly, the children they care for.

This review reflects my personal experience, together with observations made during my time fostering, and is shared honestly in the hope of encouraging positive learning and improvement.