About Diagrama Fostering

A charitable agency delivering a personalised, meaningful fostering experience that isn't focused on profits

As a charity, we're not here to profit from fostering

Tough decisions have to be made when profits are on the line and there are shareholders to please. That's where Diagrama Fostering is different from other foster agencies. As a not-for-profit organisation any ‘profit’ from our fostering service is ploughed straight back into ensuring our foster carers and the children in our care are supported in the best way possible. So we can genuinely, hand on heart, say we put children at the heart of everything we do and every decision we make, without commercial distractions.

"Children have positive and secure relationships with the adults who care for them.
Foster carers demonstrate a high level of care and commitment to children who they view as part of the family".

Ofsted inspection, 2023

Why foster carers choose to work with Diagrama

Finding the right foster agency to suit your needs is important. You want a team that will be solution-focused and there to support you 24/7. As a progressive, genuinely caring and completely child-focused agency, Diagrama foster carers are highly valued members of our team who receive dedicated support and comprehensive training. Our carers are assigned a dedicated supporting social worker who is there to guide them through every step of their placement.

Many local authorities across the UK request foster care placements from Diagrama Fostering, which means we are able to identify placement matches that work for you and your family needs. That way we know you will have the best chance of having a positive impact on the child’s future. We are particularly interested in carers who can consider long-term and parent and child placements.

Foster Care Agency in London, Kent, Surrey and East Sussex

Diagrama Fostering is an independent, not-for-profit fostering agency, rated GOOD by Ofsted. We have offices in Croydon, and Chatham, Kent and our foster carers are based across a wide area covering south London, Surrey, East Sussex and Kent.

We are part of the Diagrama Foundation, a UK charity dedicated to delivering a range of services to improve the lives of vulnerable children and adults.  You can read more about our approach to foster care in our Statement Of Purpose.

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Our partners

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Coram BAAF

Diagrama Fostering is a member of Coram BAAF Adoption and Fostering Academy - the leading membership organisation dedicated to improving outcomes for children and young people in care.

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Fostering Network

The Fostering Network provides a support network for foster care as well as influencing and shaping fostering policy and practice. All Diagrama foster carers receive free membership and benefit from Fostering Network’s wide range of services.

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Social Care Training Hub

Diagrama Fostering subscribes to The Social Care Training Hub - the UK number one provider of blended learning specific to Fostering, Children Homes, Schools & Care Leaving.

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Social Work England

Diagrama Fostering is regulated by Social Work England, an organisation which regulates social workers in England. It sets standards, holds a register, quality assures education and investigates complaints. From 2 December 2019, Social Work England took over the regulation of social workers in England from the Health and Care Professions Council.

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New Family Social

Diagrama Fostering is a member of this UK network which offers specialist support for LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) adoptive and foster families. Our LGBTQ+ foster carers receive free membership to New Family Social, as well as regular updates and full access to their services.

“We chose to foster so that we could make a difference. Inviting another child into your home and allowing them to find some stability, come alive and begin to really thrive is the best family decision we have made, and I couldn’t recommend it highly enough.”

Chris and Nic Kimmance 

Our Values

Fostering a child can have a life-long impact on everyone involved. As we support our foster carers on that journey we adopt the following values:

  • We’re committed - Our foster carers receive excellent training and we ensure they are fully prepared for their role, with realistic expectations, able to offer a positive, stable and nurturing environment. Our committed approach extends to our foster carers who stick by their foster children, even when times are tough.
  • We offer support every step of the way – We know fostering can be challenging - that’s why we provide comprehensive, round-the-clock support. No problem is ever too small and our foster carers never need feel on their own.
  • We’re passionate – We aim to achieve the best outcomes for children, with our team often going beyond the call of duty. This is reflected in our retention rates, our Ofsted report and our impressive educational achievement record.
  • We strive for excellence – We know that to offer a service of excellence, with outstanding outcomes, our learning is never done. We believe in working collaboratively, sharing best practice and investing in the development of our exceptional team, providing expert training and support, with quality and safeguarding at the forefront of our minds.
  • We invest our funds responsibly - As part of the charity Diagrama Foundation, we ensure our funds are used where it matters the most – directing any ‘surplus’ into supporting our foster carers and ensuring the child or young person receives excellent care.
  • We only recruit the best - Our robust vetting process ensures we recruit the most dedicated foster carers for society’s most vulnerable children. After all, it’s the least they deserve. We welcome enquiries from people from all walks of life and with a wide range of experiences.

“After looking at various agencies we chose the charity Diagrama and dipped our toe into fostering by  attending one of their information evenings, where we were able to ask as many questions as we wanted.”

Diagrama Foster Carer.

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Our Foster Care Team

Diagrama’s fostering team is made up of dedicated and highly skilled professionals with many years’ experience working with vulnerable children in care and their families.

Our staff and foster carers receive regular and ongoing training. We are a learning agency, striving for excellence, and believe that by investing in our team now we are investing in our society.

All our social workers are registered with Social Work England (SWE) – and we subscribe to their high standards of practice.

We also have an education specialist who provides regular education support to our foster carers.

"Foster carers help children to maintain relationships with their family and friends."

Ofsted, 2023

Governance

Diagrama Fostering service has a flat governance structure. We are a part of friendly and people-oriented organisation where the Chief Executive’s door is always open.

 

BOARD OF TRUSTEES: The Board of Trustees meet quarterly to review the organisation’s work and services, and to agree the strategic goals for the charity. The Board also reviews its own operation, effectiveness and governance annually.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE: The Trustees appoint, support and monitor the Chief Executive and delegate day-to-day management of the charity to the Chief Executive. The Chief Executive has overall responsibility for all the operational matters and reports directly to the Trustees regularly. The Chief Executive is David McGuire. You can find more information about David on the Diagrama Foundation website. The Chief Executive is assisted by a senior management team comprising: Finance manager, Human Resources manager and Head of Children’s Services.

FOSTER CARE LEADERSHIP: Our fostering service is headed up by Kate Patel who is supported by team leaders, Lauren Ingram and Margaret Gardiner - all seasoned professionals within the field of fostering and adoption. You can reach them at: Diagrama Fostering, Airport House, Purley Way, Croydon, Surrey, CR0 0XZ. Tel: 020 8668 2181. Email: fostering@diagrama.org