How is the fostering assessment carried out?

The fostering assessment is an evidence-based evaluation of whether you, your household and your home can provide safe, stable and appropriate care for a child or young person. It considers your circumstances, experiences, relationships, practical capacity and understanding of fostering, rather than looking for a single “ideal” type of person.

The process is normally completed in stages. The early stage establishes whether fostering is suitable for you and allows key checks to begin. The later assessment examines your circumstances in greater depth and brings the evidence together for consideration by the fostering panel. The precise order can vary according to the fostering service and your individual situation.

• Initial discussions and application: You provide information about yourself, your household and the type of fostering you are considering. This is an opportunity to discuss your motivation, expectations, availability and any questions before making a formal application.
• Checks and references: The fostering service obtains information needed to assess your suitability. This can include criminal record checks, local authority checks, identity and residence information, employment details, health information and personal or professional references. Previous relationships, time spent living abroad or other relevant circumstances may require additional enquiries.
• Medical assessment: Your doctor is asked to provide relevant information about your health. The purpose is not to require perfect health, but to understand whether you can meet the physical and emotional demands of fostering and whether any support or adjustments should be considered.
• Training and preparation: Pre-approval training helps you understand safeguarding, attachment, trauma, behaviour, identity, contact with birth families and the practical responsibilities of fostering. It also gives you a chance to reflect on how the role may affect your household.
• Home visits and interviews: The assessing social worker usually meets you at home on several occasions. Discussions explore your childhood, relationships, family life, employment, support network, beliefs, values, experiences of caring and ability to work with professionals. The assessment is likely to include other members of the household because fostering affects everyone living in the home.
• Home safety and suitability: The home is considered in relation to privacy, sleeping arrangements, safety and the space available for a child or young person. You may be given guidance about practical changes, equipment or documents needed before approval. A home does not have to be large or perfect, but it must provide an appropriate and safe environment.

The assessing social worker records the information gathered and considers both strengths and areas that may need further thought. They may ask for clarification, seek additional evidence or recommend actions before the assessment can be completed. Being open about difficulties, health conditions, previous experiences or changes in your circumstances is important; withholding relevant information can create problems later, whereas honest discussion allows the service to assess what support may be needed.

Assessment timescales are not identical for every applicant. They can be affected by the availability of information, the completion of checks, medical advice, references, household circumstances and whether further enquiries are necessary. The fostering service should explain the expected stages, tell you what information is needed and keep you informed if the process changes.

When the assessment is complete, the social worker prepares a written report covering the evidence and a recommendation about your suitability, along with the type of fostering that may be appropriate. You should have an opportunity to read the report and identify factual inaccuracies before it is presented. The fostering panel considers the report and any relevant supporting information, then makes a recommendation. The fostering service makes the final decision and explains the outcome to you.

If approval is recommended, it will normally specify the terms of approval, such as the number, age range or needs of the children you are considered able to foster. Approval is not permanent in the sense of ending the assessment process altogether: foster carers continue to receive supervision, training and reviews, and their approval may be reconsidered if their circumstances or the needs they support change.

You can prepare by gathering details of addresses and employment, thinking about people who can provide references, discussing fostering honestly with everyone in your household and considering how you would manage routines, boundaries, contact and professional relationships. The most useful approach is to treat the assessment as a two-way process: it helps the fostering service evaluate your suitability and helps you decide whether fostering is right for your household.