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Introduction to changes for 2024 to 2025聽onwards

This page confirms the changes that we will make to the data collection template and the portal for 2024 to 2025. The data we are collecting relates to the financial year 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.

This includes important changes to the way we collect data about protected and personal characteristics, and initial enquiries, compared with last year, 2023 to 2024.

Confirmed changes for 2024 to 2025

We will expand the data to include more protected and personal characteristics: sexual orientation, gender identity, religion and relationship status. We will collect this data at aggregate rather than carer level, to allow for personal anonymity. Data on ethnicity and disability will move to aggregate level, instead of the existing carer level. We will collect the data for approved carers as at 31 March only. You will not need to provide this data for prospective carers and deregistered carers.

The aggregate protected and personal characteristics section will be optional on an ongoing basis. The available categories will be:

• Sexual orientation (6 categories)

聽聽 - Straight or heterosexual

聽聽 - Gay or lesbian

聽聽 - Bisexual

聽聽 - All other sexual orientations

聽聽 - Refused/preferred not to say

聽聽 - Unknown/not collected

• Gender identity (7 categories)

聽聽 - Gender identity the same as sex registered at birth

聽聽 - Gender identity different from sex registered at birth but no specific identity given

聽聽 - Trans woman

聽聽 - Trans man

聽聽 - All other gender identities聽

聽聽 - Refused/preferred not to say

聽聽 - Unknown/not collected

• Sex (2 categories)

聽聽 - Male

聽聽 - Female

• Religion (10 categories)

聽聽 - No religion

聽聽 - Christian

聽聽 - Buddhist

聽聽 - Hindu

聽聽 - Jewish

聽聽 - Muslim

聽聽 - Sikh

聽聽 - Other religion

聽聽 - Refused/preferred not to say

聽聽 - Unknown/not collected

• Marital and civil partnership status (5 categories)

聽聽 - Never married and never registered a civil partnership

聽聽 - Married or in a registered civil partnership

聽聽 - Separated, but still legally married or still legally in a civil partnership

聽聽 - Divorced or civil partnership dissolved

聽聽 - Widowed or surviving civil partnership partner

• Ethnicity (21 categories)

聽聽 - Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh: Bangladeshi

聽聽 - Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh: Chinese

聽聽 - Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh: Indian

聽聽 - Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh: Pakistani

聽聽 - Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh: Other Asian

聽聽 - Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African: African

聽聽 - Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African: Caribbean

聽聽 - Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African: Other Black

聽聽 - Mixed or multiple ethnic groups: White and Asian

聽聽 - Mixed or multiple ethnic groups: White and Black African

聽聽 - Mixed or multiple ethnic groups: White and Black Caribbean

聽聽 - Mixed or multiple ethnic groups: Other Mixed or multiple ethnic groups

聽聽 - White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British

聽聽 - White: Irish

聽聽 - White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller

聽聽 - White: Roma

聽聽 - White: Other White

聽聽 - Other ethnic group: Arab

聽聽 - Other ethnic group: Any other ethnic group

聽聽 - Refused/ preferred not to say

聽聽 - Unknown/not collected

• Disability (4 categories)

聽聽 - Disabled under the Equality Act

聽聽 - Not disabled under the Equality Act

聽聽 - Refused/preferred not to say

聽聽 - Unknown/not collected

We will amend the response codes for the existing question 鈥楻eason for deregistration鈥� (F2). 鈥業nitiated by foster carer鈥� (DER3) will no longer be available. We will replace DER3 with more specific reasons, as follows:

• Carer retirement (DER7)

• Personal carer circumstances (DER8)

• Carer ceased fostering (DER9)

Fostering hubs in the local authority sector can submit data on initial enquiries as part of the fostering data collection for the financial year from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. The lead local authority of the hub is responsible for submitting the total number of initial enquiries for the entire hub. Other local authorities in the hub should record zero. If a hub begins part-way through the reporting year, the lead local authority must report data for the full year. It should gather and aggregate this information from each agency within the hub.

Large providers of independent fostering agencies (IFAs) are also eligible to submit national-level data on initial enquiries. The lead IFA may submit data on behalf of others in the hierarchy, if it is collated centrally.

We will continue to collect the data under the existing question 鈥楬ow many initial enquiries did you receive?鈥� on the 鈥極ther Data鈥� tab. Hubs may use the comments box to list the local authorities or agencies within the hub or organisation.

All hub partners and agencies should agree on the reporting arrangements. If they do not reach agreement, then each local authority or IFA will remain responsible for reporting their individual initial enquiries numbers.

Proposed changes for 2025 to 2026 onwards

There are no proposed changes to the data collection for 2025 to 2026.

Please contact聽[email protected]聽if you have any queries or suggestions about the fostering dataset return.