Foster carer recruitment marketing guidance

This guidance intends to provide independent and voluntary fostering providers (IFPs) with a set of general principles and standards for content that aims to recruit foster carers via marketing and advertising of the provider. The aim of publishing this guidance is to increase a mutual understanding of appropriate and truthful marketing that is not published at the detriment to another service. Marketing content should provide prospective foster carers with a genuine insight into the role of a foster carer and the providers available to them.

Legal - promotional activity must follow applicable laws

Authentic - truthful and honest about the service and how it operates

Positive (including about children in care, fostering and fostering agencies), inspiring and actionable

Transparent - about what prospective foster carers should expect and about the role requirements and expectations of a foster carer

Clear and understandable - equitable and accessible to all

Current - reference to inspection reports should be from the most recent report for that service/office, these should be made available to prospective foster carers

Accurate, balanced and fair - all information, claims and comparisons about services and be independently verifiable

Reflect genuine experience - testimonials and endorsements must be based on genuine experience, given freely without financial or other inducement

Contain nothing that is likely to cause serious or widespread offence

Not undermining - advertising should not be undertaken that undermines the reputation of any other individual provider, agency or sector

Financial inducements (see separate NAFP statement)