{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/fostering-services-regulations-2002/regulation-2",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/fostering-services-regulations-2002/regulation-2.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/2002/57",
  "legislation_title": "The Fostering Services Regulations 2002",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/fostering-services-regulations-2002",
  "path": "regulation/2",
  "kind": "regulation",
  "number": "2",
  "heading": "Interpretation",
  "text": "(1) In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires—\n“the 1989 Act” means the Children Act 1989;\n“the 2000 Act” means the Care Standards Act 2000;\n“approval” means approval as a foster parent in accordance with regulation 28 and references to a person being approved shall be construed accordingly;\n“area authority” means the local authority in whose area a child is placed, in any case where that local authority is not the child’s responsible authority;\n“assessment” shall be construed in accordance with regulation 27(l);\n“child protection enquiries” has the meaning given to it by regulation 12(4);\n“children’s guide” means the written guide produced in accordance with regulation 3(3);\n“foster care agreement” has the meaning given to it by regulation 28(5)(b);\n“foster placement agreement” has the meaning given to it by regulation 34(3);\n“foster parent” means a person with whom a child is placed or may be placed under these Regulations, and except in Parts IV and V of these Regulations, includes any person who is not a foster parent but with whom a child is placed by a local authority under regulation 38(2);\n“fostering panel” means a panel established in accordance with regulation 24;\n“fostering service” means—\n(a) a fostering agency within the meaning of section 4(4) of the 2000 Act; or\n(b) a local authority fostering service;\n“fostering service provider” means—\n(a) in relation to a fostering agency, a registered person; or\n(b) in relation to a local authority fostering service, a local authority;\n“general practitioner” means a registered medical practitioner who—\n(a) provides general medical services under Part II of the National Health Service Act 1977;\n(b) performs personal medical services in connection with a pilot scheme under the National Health Service (Primary Care) Act 1997; or\n(c) provides services which correspond to services provided under Part II of the National Health Service Act 1977 otherwise than in pursuance of that Act;\n“independent fostering agency” means a fostering agency falling within section 4(4)(a) of the 2000 Act (discharging functions of local authorities in connection with the placing of children with foster parents);\n“local authority fostering service” means the discharge by a local authority of relevant fostering functions within the meaning of section 43(3)(b) of the 2000 Act;\n“organisation” means a body corporate or any unincorporated association other than a partnership;\n“parent” in relation to a child, includes any person who has parental responsibility for him;\n“placement” means any placement of a child made by—\n(a) a local authority under section 23(2)(a) of the 1989 Act or a voluntary organisation under section 59(1)(a) of the 1989 Act which is not—\n(i) a placement with a person who falls within section 23(4) of that Act; or\n(ii) a placement for adoption; and\n(b) except in Part V of these Regulations includes a placement arranged by an independent fostering agency acting on behalf of a local authority,\nand references to a child who is placed shall be construed accordingly;\n“registered manager” in relation to a fostering agency means a person who is registered under Part II of the 2000 Act as the manager of the fostering agency;\n“registered person” in relation to a fostering agency means any person who is the registered provider or the registered manager of the fostering agency;\n“registered provider” in relation to a fostering agency means a person who is registered under Part II of the 2000 Act as the person carrying on the fostering agency;\n“responsible authority” means, in relation to a child, the local authority or voluntary organisation as the case may be, responsible for the child’s placement;\n“responsible individual” shall be construed in accordance with regulation 5(2)(c)(i);\n“statement of purpose” means the written statement compiled in accordance with regulation 3(1).\n(2) In these Regulations, a reference—\n(a) to a numbered regulation or Schedule is to the regulation in, or Schedule to, these Regulations bearing that number;\n(b) in a regulation or Schedule to a numbered paragraph, is to the paragraph in that regulation or Schedule bearing that number;\n(c) in a paragraph to a lettered or numbered sub-paragraph is to the sub-paragraph in that paragraph bearing that letter or number.\n(3) In these Regulations, references to employing a person include employing a person whether or not for payment, and whether under a contract of service or a contract for services, and allowing a person to work as a volunteer, but do not include allowing a person to act as a foster parent, and references to an employee or to a person being employed shall be construed accordingly.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f1",
      "text": "1977 c. 49."
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f2",
      "text": "1997 c. 46."
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f3",
      "text": "By section 121(4) of the 2000 Act the person who carries on a fostering agency falling within section 4(4)(b) of that Act (a voluntary organisation which places children with foster parents under section 59(1) of the 1989 Act) is the voluntary organisation itself."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [
    {
      "type": "words omitted",
      "affecting": "uksi/2007/603",
      "affecting_title": "The Education and Inspections Act 2006 (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2007"
    },
    {
      "type": "words inserted",
      "affecting": "uksi/2007/603",
      "affecting_title": "The Education and Inspections Act 2006 (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2007"
    },
    {
      "type": "words substituted",
      "affecting": "uksi/2004/865",
      "affecting_title": "The General Medical Services and Personal Medical Services Transitional and Consequential Provisions Order 2004"
    },
    {
      "type": "words inserted",
      "affecting": "uksi/2004/664",
      "affecting_title": "The Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003 (Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection and Commission for Social Care Inspection) (Transitional and Consequential Provisions) Order 2004"
    },
    {
      "type": "words inserted",
      "affecting": "uksi/2002/2469",
      "affecting_title": "The National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act 2002 (Supplementary, Consequential etc. Provisions) Regulations 2002"
    },
    {
      "type": "words substituted",
      "affecting": "uksi/2002/865",
      "affecting_title": "The Care Standards Act 2000 (Establishments and Agencies) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2002"
    }
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002/57/regulation/2",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T07:16:55.059924+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}