Become a Foster Carer
Fostering is a rewarding journey that gives you the opportunity to make a real difference in a child's life.
Open Your Heart, Become a Foster Carer
Your Path to Becoming a Foster Carer
As a foster carer, you'll provide a safe and supportive home, welcoming a child as part of your family and helping them feel secure and valued.
The assessment process ensures you have the right skills and environment for fostering. It typically takes around four months and includes training, background checks, and home visits. To become a foster carer, you'll need a spare bedroom for the child and a commitment to providing care, stability, and guidance.
If you're passionate about caring for a child and ready to take the first step, we're here to support you every step of the way.
The first step in becoming a foster carer is getting in touch with us for an informal chat. During this initial discussion over the phone, we’ll gather some basic information about you, your household, your experience, and your motivations for wanting to foster. This helps us begin assessing your suitability and understanding what type of fostering arrangement might best suit you and your lifestyle.
We’ll talk through the different types of fostering available, such as short-term, long-term, emergency, or respite care, and answer any questions you may have about the role. This is also your opportunity to learn more about the responsibilities involved, the training and support provided, and what you can expect throughout the assessment process.
A member of the team will arrange a convenient time to visit you at home to discuss fostering in more detail. During this visit, we’ll take the time to get to know you better, talk through your reasons for wanting to foster, and explore the different types of fostering that may be suitable for you and your household.
We will also look at the space you have available for a foster child, including the bedroom arrangements and general living areas, to ensure they provide a safe, comfortable, and welcoming environment. This isn’t about judging your home — it’s about making sure that a child or young person placed with you will have the space, privacy, and security they need to feel settled.
If we both agree that the assessment should proceed, the social worker will complete an application and you will embark on a comprehensive assessment. The assessment explores your background, experiences, parenting skills and the qualities you will bring to fostering.
Together with the social worker you will provide evidence of your ability to care for children or young people. The assessment will also involve talking to your children, any adult children who have left home and ex-partners where applicable. We will complete reference checks via your local authority, and ask you to provide three personal referees
You will also be invited to attend a three-day preparation course for prospective foster carers, which forms an important part of the assessment process. This training is designed to give you a thorough understanding of what fostering involves and to help you feel confident and well-prepared for the role. Over the course of the three days, you will explore a wide range of topics, including child development, safeguarding, managing challenging behaviour, attachment, and the emotional needs of children in care. You will also have the opportunity to hear from experienced foster carers and discuss real-life scenarios, which can provide valuable insights and practical guidance.
Alongside the training, other essential checks will be undertaken to ensure the safety and wellbeing of both the children and your household. This includes a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check, which reviews your criminal record, as well as a comprehensive health assessment to make sure you are physically and mentally able to care for a child. References from friends, family, or employers will also be collected, and all of this information helps the fostering team to complete a thorough and fair assessment of your suitability.
If we both agree that the assessment should proceed, the social worker will complete an application and you will embark on a comprehensive assessment. The assessment explores your background, experiences, parenting skills and the qualities you will bring to fostering.
Together with the social worker you will provide evidence of your ability to care for children or young people. The assessment will also involve talking to your children, any adult children who have left home and ex-partners where applicable. We will complete reference checks via your local authority, and ask you to provide three personal referees