Founding Partner Programme — 50% off your entire first year7 of 10 spots remaining

Built for UK Independent Fostering Agencies from 10 to 1,000+ Carers

The Era of Legacy Fostering Software is Over.Reclaim 15 Hours a Week per Social Worker.

Q: How long does migration from CHARMS take?

Most agencies are fully migrated within 5–10 working days. Our automated CSV/SQL import wizard handles the heavy lifting with zero export fees.

Q: Is our data stored in the UK?

Yes. All data is stored exclusively in AWS eu-west-2 (London). We never process or store data outside the UK.

Q: Can Ofsted inspectors access the system directly?

Yes — FosterCore offers time-limited, read-only inspector access scoped to specific evidence categories.

Q: Do you charge per user?

No. We charge by active approved carers, not by users. Every member of your team gets their own login at £0 extra cost.

Q: How does the Ofsted Readiness Score work?

The score is calculated in real-time across all four SCCIF judgement areas to produce a 0–100 score with specific recommendations.

FosterCore is the care-first fostering operating system. No per-user seat taxes, no £20,000 data hostage fees, and no 1990s desktop interfaces. Built natively around SCCIF criteria with 1-click evidence compilation, explainable referral matching, and real-time statutory compliance.

Start 30-Day Parallel Run →See Product Tour

⚡ 15 Hrs/Wk Saved per Social Worker

•

🔒 £0 Per-User Seat Taxes

•

🛡️ 100% SCCIF Framework Compliant

🛡️ The 10-Hour Guarantee: Save 10+ hrs/wk per social worker (verified by built-in time audit) or 6 months 100% free.

app.fostercore.uk/dashboard

Command Centre

Dashboard

Placements

Carers

Children

Compliance

Supervisions

Incidents

Active Placements

↑ 2 this month

Approved Carers

4 in assessment

Supervisions Due

Within 7 days

Open Incidents

All resolved

Placement Stability — Last 8 Months

Ofsted Readiness

● Inspection Ready

Based on SCCIF criteria

Built for UK Independent Fostering Agencies

ISO 27001 Aligned

GDPR Compliant

Ofsted-Ready

UK Data Only

NMS Compliant

256-bit Encryption

Multi-Scale Architecture

Built for Independent Fostering Agencies of Every Scale

Whether you are a boutique agency eliminating compliance blindspots or a national network managing multi-branch governance.

Built for Established Regional IFAs

Replace CHARMS in 10 Days & Save 15 Hours/Week Per Social Worker.

The modern operating engine for established agencies. Cut supervision prep from 90 to 10 minutes, track placement stability in real time, and eliminate legacy per-seat license taxes forever.

🔄 CHARMS Data Bridge

Automated migration engine extracts historical records in 10 days with £0 data hostage fees.

📄 1-Click Supervision Prep

Auto-aggregate logs, incidents, and training gaps into structured supervision briefings.

❤️ Carer Burnout Early Warning

Detect declining engagement patterns and intervene before a placement breaks down.

The Incumbent Overthrow

The 4 Predatory Traps of Legacy Fostering Software

Legacy software vendors (`CHARMS`, `Liquidlogic`, `Eclipse`) have held UK Fostering Agencies hostage for 20+ years. Here is why the regime is ending.

Trap 01

The Per-Seat License Tax

Legacy Regime: Charges £50–£100+ per user/month. Penalizes you financially for giving logins to panel members, sessional workers, or read-only admin staff.

The FosterCore Standard: £0 per staff seat. Unlimited logins for social workers, admins, panel members, and inspectors. Pay only for active approved carers.

Trap 02

The £20,000 Data Hostage Fee

Legacy Regime: Demands £10,000–£30,000 and months of delays to export *your own agency data* when you try to leave.

The FosterCore Standard: Free 10-day automated CSV/SQL migration. Zero export extortion fees. Your data belongs to you.

Trap 03

The 1990s Administrative Drain

Legacy Regime: 40+ manual clicks per supervision. Zero mobile usability. Social workers spend 60% of their week fighting form fields.

The FosterCore Standard: 10-second AI supervision briefing packs, offline-first mobile app for field visits, and natural language search.

Trap 04

The "Passive Filing Cabinet"

Legacy Regime: Data sits dead in the database. You only discover expired DBS checks or late Annual Reviews during an Ofsted inspection.

The FosterCore Standard: Live 0–100 SCCIF readiness scoring, 24-hour Schedule 7 countdown alerts, and early carer burnout warnings.

LIVE INTERACTIVE DEMO

7-Factor Explainable Match Rationale Simulator

See how FosterCore calculates transparent match rationale for LA Commissioning Panels (UK GDPR Art 22 Compliant).

96%

🟢 Highly Matched

Child Age: 9 years old

Distance from School: 4 miles

Carer Fostering Experience: 4 years

Sibling Group Placement (Preservation Bonus)Simulate Overdue Training/Compliance (-10 Penalty)

Plain-English Rationale Generated for LA Commissioning Panel:

Age & Capacity: Matched (20/20 capacity, 20/20 age)
Compliance Status: ✅ 100% Clear (15/15)
Location & Proximity: 4 miles to local school (10/10)

Proven Impact

Trusted by Leaders Across UK Social Work

Real feedback from Registered Managers, Agency Directors, and Supervising Social Workers who replaced legacy systems with FosterCore.

“We went from CHARMS and 3 spreadsheets to FosterCore. Our supervision prep time dropped from 90 minutes to under 10, saving our SSWs 15 hours every week.”

Registered Manager

IFA, South East England

“The Ofsted readiness score changed everything. We knew exactly where we stood before our inspection — no guessing, no panic.”

Agency Director

IFA, West Midlands

“Our social workers actually enjoy using it. That's never happened with a fostering system before. The AI search alone saved us hours every week.”

Supervising Social Worker

IFA, North West England

Ofsted Readiness accuracy

Projected admin time savings

<0 min

Supervision prep time

Compliance tracking coverage

The Care-First Reality

Social workers chose care, not admin. It's time to liberate them.

You chose fostering because you believe every child deserves stability. But somewhere between chasing DBS renewals, compiling SSDA903 returns, and preparing for the next Reg 44 visit, the admin took over. Your social workers spend more time on paperwork than supporting carers and children.

2–3 days

To manually compile a board report from multiple systems

1–2 hrs

Per supervision just for preparation — reviewing logs, checking compliance

Carer records in one system, placements in another
DBS checks in a spreadsheet, supervisions in Word docs, training logs via email. When Ofsted asks for a carer's full compliance picture, you're scrambling.
Compliance gaps surface at the worst moment
An expired DBS, a missed annual review, an overdue health assessment — you find out when the inspector does, not before.
No clear view of your SCCIF position
Ofsted scores on experiences & progress, safeguarding, and leadership. Without live data, you're guessing where you stand.
Good carers leave and you never saw it coming
Declining log frequency, missed check-ins, shorter entries. The warning signs are invisible when data lives in separate systems.

Audit

Audit Your Agency in 60 Seconds

Answer 5 simple questions to evaluate your current DBS, supervision, and safeguarding compliance against UK statutory regulations and get a predicted Ofsted grade.

Ofsted Self-Assessment GraderQuestion 1 of 5

DBS Compliance

What percentage of your approved foster carers and household members have a valid, active DBS check?

Platform

Built for how fostering agencies actually work.

Not a generic CRM with a fostering label. Every feature exists because a Registered Manager or supervising social worker told us they needed it.

Live Ofsted Readiness Score

Scores your agency 0–100 against SCCIF criteria in real time. Weighted across experiences & progress (35%), safeguarding (40%), and leadership (25%). When it drops, you see exactly which items to fix.

Placement Stability Tracking

Every active placement gets a live stability indicator based on incident frequency, carer log patterns, and match quality. Flags risk before a placement breaks down.

One-Click Supervision Prep

Before any supervision, one button generates the full briefing: recent carer logs, open incidents, compliance items due, training status, and discussion points.

Natural Language Search

“Show me carers approved for teenagers with a spare bedroom in Birmingham” — type plain English, get instant results. Referral matching in seconds.

One-Click Board Reports

Placements, vacancies, compliance, incidents, recruitment pipeline, risk flags, Ofsted trend, KPIs — generated in seconds, not 2–3 days of manual work.

Carer Burnout Early Warning

Detects declining engagement patterns and quietly alerts supervisors. Losing a good carer costs £5k–£15k in recruitment alone — early intervention changes that.

Your Competitive Advantage

The Path to Outstanding engine.

Agencies achieve “Good” by following the rules. They achieve “Outstanding” by proving they act on feedback and continuously improve. FosterCore actively coaches your agency toward a higher Ofsted grade — no other platform does this.

Mock Inspector AI

Runs a quarterly AI audit across your entire database, looking for exactly what a real inspector looks for. Generates a mock Ofsted report with specific “Areas for Improvement” — before the real inspection happens.

Automated Remediation

When FosterCore detects you're slipping on a SCCIF metric, it doesn't just alert you — it generates the fix. Eight carers overdue for annual review? One click drafts all eight scheduling emails with proposed dates.

Child's Voice Tracker

Tracks when a child says “I want to do more football” and then checks the chronology — did the agency fund a football club two weeks later? These “Feedback → Action” loops are what separate “Good” from “Outstanding” at inspection.

Compliance

Every regulation, tracked automatically.

FosterCore knows the fostering regulations so your team doesn't have to memorise them.

✓

Reg 44 Visits

Tracks unannounced visit schedules and flags when they're due

✓

Schedule 7 Notifications

Monitors notification timelines and ensures nothing is missed

✓

DBS Renewals

Automated alerts months before expiry — no last-minute scrambles

✓

Annual Reviews

Tracks every carer's review cycle and preparation status

✓

Training & Development

Mandatory and elective training completion with gap alerts

✓

Supervision Records

Full history with action tracking — inspection-ready at any time

✓

Allegation Management

LADO-ready audit trails with immutable access logs

✓

SSDA903 Returns

Statutory data returns generated directly from placement records

Ecosystem

Optional Real-Time Connected Modules

Choose standalone operational database focus or connect modules to eliminate data entry errors.

Core Database Focus

FosterCore Standalone OS

Looking for a robust, modern replacement for legacy system databases like CHARMS? FosterCore runs completely independently, providing your team with an integrated central hub for all case tracking, supervisions, and Ofsted compliance metrics.

✓No external modules or third-party dependencies required.
✓Form F, panel presentation files, and incident logs pre-compiled.
✓Integrated, immutable regulatory audit logs ready for Ofsted.

fostercore.local/dashboard

Central CommandOfsted Ready

SCCIF READINESS98.4% Score

Outstanding

Supervision CompletedCarer: J. Harrison | SSW: E. Vance

✓ Logged

Schedule 7 WarningIncident: INC-704 (Allegation)

2h Left

DBS Auto-CheckCarer: R. Sterling | Active

✓ Clear

Compare

Why switch from legacy systems.

Honest feature comparison. No fine print, no hidden limitations.

Capability	Legacy / CHARMS	FosterCore
Live Ofsted Readiness Score	✕	✓ Real-time SCCIF
AI Board Report Generation	✕	✓ One-click
AI Supervision Prep	✕	✓ Auto-generated
Placement Stability Tracking	✕	✓ Multi-factor scoring
Carer Burnout Detection	✕	✓ Pattern analysis
Natural Language Search	✕	✓ Plain English
Self-Service Data Migration	Manual only	✓ CSV import wizard
Unlimited Staff Logins	£100/user/mo	✓ Included
Schedule 6 & 7 Categories	Partial	✓ Full Ofsted-native
Inspector Temporary Access	✕	✓ Time-limited, scoped

Statutory Index

UK Fostering Regulatory Compliance Directory

A direct mapping of national minimum standards and statutory regulations to FosterCore capabilities. Built to ensure absolute legal adherence across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

Statutory Reference	Regulatory Body & Area	Compliance Requirement	FosterCore Platform Mapping & Tooling
Regulation 35 / Schedule 3	Ofsted (England) Case Records	75-Year Record Retention: Legally mandated preservation of Looked-After Children (LAC) records until their 75th birthday, requiring strict database multi-tenant isolation, access logging, and GDPR data security.	75-Year Secure Archival Vault Enforced via database policy filters, soft-delete safety constraints, and automated data retention managers preventing accidental deletion of active/historic placements.
Regulation 36 / Schedule 7	Ofsted (England) Notifiable Events	24-Hour Notifiable Event Alerting: Serious incidents, safeguarding allegations, or missing episodes must be reported to the regulator within 24 hours of occurrence.	Schedule 7 Priority Alerts Automatic real-time notifications with an 18-hour countdown timer triggered on the dashboard when high-severity incidents are recorded by social workers.
National Minimum Standard 1	Ofsted / CIW / Care Inspectorate Child's Voice	Child's Wishes and Feelings: Fostering services must regularly record children's views, wishes, and feelings, and demonstrate that their feedback directly influences agency actions.	SEN Child Voice Portal Built-in touch-friendly PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) grid interfaces and Web Speech API accent-normalised dictation for recording views, with automated "Feedback to Action" chronology trackers.
National Minimum Standard 21	Ofsted / CIW / Care Inspectorate Supervisions	Statutory Supervision Cycle: Regular, documented supervisions for approved carers. Social workers must evidence discussions about home safety, child welfare, and training.	One-Click AI Supervision Prep Automatically aggregates carer logs, compliance flags, training gaps, and incidents into a structured agenda. Welsh agencies generate bilingual Welsh/English PDFs side-by-side.
Regulation 28 (Wales)	CIW (Wales) Panel Transfer	15-Day Carer Transfer Pack: On a statutory carer transfer request, the agency must compile and transfer all assessment files, compliance logs, and training history to the new agency within 15 days.	Bilingual Transfer Pack Exporter One-click compliance pack generator compiling Form Fs, training certifications, annual reviews, and case files into an encrypted zip payload streamed to the requesting agency.
SSSC Codes of Practice / WFIF	Social Care Wales / SSSC Induction Standards	Staff & Carer Professional Development: Evidencing completion of mandatory training (Welsh Fostering Induction Framework and Scottish Social Services Council standards) for both carers and agency staff.	Interactive Training Matrices Dynamic visual matrix of carer skills vs regulatory benchmarks. Tracks progress, alerts overdue refreshers, and registers training courses dynamically under different country frameworks.
2026 Cross-Border Regs	Care Inspectorate (Scotland) Cross-Border Placements	Reciprocal Placement Approvals: Aligning English/Scottish placements with Compulsory Supervision Orders (CSOs) and ensuring placing authority notification compliance.	Cross-Border Placement Checklists Dynamic verification guides mapping CSO documentation, local authority notifications, and inter-agency funding agreements to prevent placement breakdown and compliance failures.

Zero Risk Migration

Run FosterCore alongside your current system for 30 days.

We know you can't afford disruption. Your carers need support, children are in active placements, and Ofsted doesn't pause for software migrations. That's why every FosterCore onboarding starts with a 30-day parallel run — no risk, no downtime, no pressure.

We import your data

Your existing records stay exactly where they are. We import a copy into FosterCore so you can see your real data in the new system from day one.

Your team uses both systems

Keep working in your current system while your team explores FosterCore. Compare workflows, check compliance tracking, and see the Ofsted readiness score with real data.

Switch when you're ready

After 30 days, you decide. No credit card taken, no contract signed, no pressure. Most teams are confident within the first two weeks.

Start 30-Day Parallel Run →

Pricing

Priced by active carers. Unlimited staff logins. No surprises.

Legacy systems charge per concurrent user — punishing you as your team grows. FosterCore charges by active approved carers. Every member of your team gets their own login at no extra cost. Deregistered carer records are retained free, as required by law.

Estimate Your Time & Cost ROI

Slide parameters to match your agency configuration. Watch how many hours and licensing costs are saved.

Approved Foster Carers30 carers

Staff Logins Needed15 staff

Admin Hours Saved

69 hrs / mo

Saves 1.5 hours per carer on supervision prep.

Retention Value

£1,125 / mo

Prevents 0.9 carer resignations per year.

Licensing Analysis (Starter Plan)

Legacy User Pricing (CHARMS)

£1,500 / mo

FosterCore Flat Pricing

£999 / mo

Startup

Up to 15 active approved carers · Unlimited staff logins

£499

per month

✓ Full Command Centre
✓ Ofsted Readiness Score
✓ Compliance tracking & alerts
✓ AI supervision prep
✓ Board report generation
✓ Free data migration

Start 30-Day Parallel Run →

Starter

Up to 30 active approved carers · Unlimited staff logins

£999

per month

✓ Everything in Startup
✓ Priority email support
✓ Expanded compliance metrics
✓ Dedicated migration specialist

Start 30-Day Parallel Run →

Live in days. No disruption to your team.

We know you can't afford downtime. Migration is handled by our team, not yours.

We Import Your Data

Carer records, placement history, compliance documents, training logs — we migrate everything from your existing systems.

We Configure Your Agency

User roles, notification preferences, compliance thresholds, and reporting templates — tailored to your exact structure.

Your Team Goes Live

One connected system. Ofsted readiness tracking starts immediately. Your social workers get hours back every week.

Built & Included

Advanced Operational & Compliance Suite.

Unlike legacy systems that promise future updates, every one of these advanced compliance modules is fully built, tested, and live in FosterCore today.

🟢 Live & Included

Interactive Training Matrix

A visual competency grid mapping approved carers against mandatory statutory training, enabling one-click course enrollment and automated alerts.

🟢 Live & Included

Panel Sign-off Portal

A secure, time-bounded review portal for agency panel members to vote, record recommendations, and digitally sign ADM decision records.

🟢 Live & Included

Offline-First Mobile

Full offline service worker and local cache capabilities, allowing mobile social workers to safely log statutory visits in remote regions without signal.

🟢 Live & Included

One-Click DSAR Compiler

Automatically compile a child or carer data binder for Subject Access Requests, redacting third-party PII using AI models to ensure GDPR safety.

FAQ

Questions we get asked a lot.

If your question isn't here, start a 30-day parallel run and our team will help you directly.

How long does migration from CHARMS take?+

Most agencies are fully migrated within 5–10 working days. Our CSV import wizard handles the heavy lifting — you upload your CHARMS export, map the fields (most auto-map), preview the data, and click import. We also offer white-glove migration support for Professional tier customers.

Is our data stored in the UK?+

Yes. All data is stored exclusively in AWS eu-west-2 (London). We never process or store data outside the UK. Our infrastructure is GDPR compliant, and we provide a full Data Processing Agreement with every subscription.

Can Ofsted inspectors access the system directly?+

Yes — FosterCore offers time-limited, read-only inspector access scoped to specific evidence categories. You generate a temporary link, the inspector sees only what you authorise, and the access expires automatically. Full audit trail of every page they viewed.

What happens to records when a carer is deregistered?+

Deregistered carer records are retained for the legally required period (10 years post-deregistration under Reg 30). Records are soft-deleted — never hard-deleted — with immutable audit trails. Retention at no extra cost, as required by law.

How does the Ofsted Readiness Score work?+

The score is calculated in real-time across all four SCCIF judgement areas: Experiences & Progress (35%), Safeguarding (40%), Leadership & Management (25%), plus a quality indicator. It analyses your compliance items, incident patterns, supervision cadence, training completion, and carer engagement to produce a 0–100 score with specific recommendations.

Do you charge per user?+

No. We charge by active approved carers, not by users. Every member of your team — social workers, admin, managers, directors — gets their own login at no extra cost. CHARMS charges £100/user/month. We think that's wrong.

Can we try before we commit?+

Absolutely. Every FosterCore subscription starts with a 30-day parallel run. We import your data, you run both systems side by side, and you switch when you're confident. No credit card required, no contract, no pressure. Most agencies switch within the first two weeks.

What AI model do you use?+

We use Google Gemini for AI features (board reports, supervision prep, natural language search, mock inspection). All AI processing happens with UK data residency. Your data is never used for model training. AI features are configurable — you can turn any AI feature on or off.

Ready to Upgrade?

Overthrow Legacy Software & Reclaim 15 Hours a Week.

Join forward-thinking UK IFAs replacing CHARMS, Liquidlogic, and spreadsheets with FosterCore. Start your 30-day risk-free parallel run with zero migration friction.

Start 30-Day Parallel Run →Schedule Executive Demo

✓ 30-Day Risk-Free Run✓ Free Data Migration✓ 75-Year Reg 35 Vault Included