We work hard to build good relationships with local authorities across Scotland as well as local groups like the Scottish Through Care and After Care Forum. Our aim is to equip foster carers with the skills and support they need to ensure the best possible outcomes for foster children and young people and we’re keen to celebrate all the successes of our children.

“Here at NFAS we have an enthusiastic and experienced staff team, who are dedicated to recruiting, assessing, training, and supporting our foster carers.

Our foster carers provide a range of care placements including; Interim, Emergency, Short Break, Long-Term, Permanent, Bridge to Foster and Parent and Child.

Pam, our Carer Recruitment Officers will make contact with you if you want to find out more about fostering with our service. They are there throughout the process, which provides a personal feel to the assessment. They respond promptly to all questions and will keep in touch from the start of your application to the finish.

We have an excellent blended training programme, run local support groups across Scotland and a regular programme of events to help foster carers build relationships.

Our Foster Carers are very much included and involved in developing our service.

There is 24-hour support available, this includes our out of hours support service which gives you access to a supervising social worker and manager at all times. We also operate a buddy system for newly approved foster carers, and they will provide peer support.
We also run various children’s events for both the children you care for and your birth children.

I am incredibly proud of the care, love and support our foster carers provide to children, offering them safe and nurturing care. We are also registered as an adult placement service, which allows our carers to provide continuing care to young people post 18 years.”

Claire Devine, Registered Manager

NFAS Duty of Candour Report 2023 – 2024

“I looked into the different routes into it – Local Authority and independent fostering agency – and decided to apply to the National Fostering Agency Scotland, part of National Fostering Group. It was the level of support and training that swung it for me. I’d never been a foster carer before and didn’t have a great deal of experience with children and young people so all of the training and the 24/7 support from a supervising social worker was very appealing.”

Harry, approved Foster Carer

Going the extra mile

The team at NFA Scotland is committed to ensuring that foster carers feel supported and listened to. Someone is available to respond to issues at all times of the day and night and, wherever possible, the same person will see things through from start to finish to provide consistency and continuity.

We support young adults going into continuing care as they develop the skills they need to live independently and encourage them to maintain relationships with their former foster family.

As well as round-the-clock professional support, you will be supported by our entire foster carer family. You’ll have the opportunity to mingle and make new friends at local events and support groups as you become a member of an extended family of foster carers in your area. We have dedicated children and young person workers who host fantastic regular events for both foster children and birth children. So with peer groups and social workers on call, you’ll always have someone supporting you. Check out our events section to see what we have coming up near you.

Careful with words

We are particularly aware of the power of words. In response to feedback from young people, we avoid using “carers”, preferring instead to talk about “foster parents”. Rather than referring to “placements”, we talk about the child’s “home”.

Foster parents are referred to as the “fostering team”, an integral part of the overall staff team, whose opinions and contribution are equally valued. We believe it’s important for foster parents to feel involved; good communication is key.

Recognising foster carer skills

As well as providing extensive training and local support groups for our foster parents, we recognise many have valuable lived-experiences and skills to share.

In these cases, specialist training workshops can be organised. For example, one foster carer who specialises in trauma and play therapy has recently offered training, along with another from a local chaplaincy.

Best of both worlds

NFA Scotland manages its business according to local need and demand, but with the backing of a large national agency (National Fostering Group) behind it. This allows us to tap into a central pool of expert support and expertise, while maintaining an awareness of what our children, foster parents and local authorities need.

We pride ourselves on providing a very high standard of care for some of Scotland’s most vulnerable children and young people. We achieve this by retaining and investing in our staff and foster carers, ensuring our matching process is effective, and working hard to give our foster children the same opportunities to achieve as any other young person.

The Promise

We have committed to keeping ‘the promise’ that Scotland has made to care experienced Children and Young People and you will grow up loved, safe and respected. The priority for children that cannot stay with their families , is that they will have a loving home and will stay there for as long as needed, alongside their brothers and sisters where it is safe to do so. You can visit this website for more information about The Promise. You can visit this website for more information about The Promise.

“There is always someone on the end of the phone to talk to, even if it is just to ask something simple. The agency has really grown since we joined – at first there were only four or five foster carers in the Aberdeen area and now there are around 20.”  

Tracey and Mark, approved Foster Carers.