The Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care ('the Care Commission') has been responsible for the registration and inspection of a range of services, including fostering and related services (sometimes known as family placement services), provided by fostering agencies since April 2002.
Fostering agencies may be voluntary and independent services or they may be local authorities acting as fostering agencies. All fostering agencies must comply with these national care standards. They have been developed to make sure that the services that they provide are of high quality.
Fostering agencies provide a wide range of services. They may provide longer-term placements or short breaks. They may provide substitute care where a child's family is unable to provide care. They may provide complementary care to provide additional opportunities for a child or to give parents a break. These carers are sometimes called respite or family placement carers. The term foster care is used to describe all these situations.