What checks are involved in foster carer recruitment?

Foster carer recruitment checks are part of a wider suitability assessment. They look at your identity, health, background, relationships, finances and home circumstances to help determine whether you can provide safe, consistent care for a child or young person. The checks apply to every applicant and may also involve other adults in your household or people who have regular contact with children in your home.

Identity, residence and household checks

You will need to provide evidence of your identity and address, along with information about your current and previous homes. The assessing team will usually ask who lives in your household, who visits regularly and whether anyone else may have unsupervised contact with a child placed with you. Additional checks may be needed for household members or other adults, depending on the circumstances.

Where relevant, you may also be asked to provide information about immigration status, time spent living abroad or previous addresses. This allows the agency to establish a clear and accurate history for everyone involved in the assessment.

DBS and safeguarding checks

Applicants normally require an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check, including the relevant barred-list checks. Similar checks may be required for adults in the household. The purpose is to identify information that could affect safeguarding, such as convictions, cautions or other recorded concerns.

A criminal record does not automatically mean that you cannot foster. The assessing team considers the nature of the offence, how long ago it occurred, the circumstances, any pattern of behaviour and the relevance to caring for children. It is important to disclose information fully and honestly, including matters that may not appear on a current certificate.

Local authority and social care checks

Checks may be made with local authorities where you have lived or where children in your household have received social care support. These enquiries help identify any information relevant to your ability to safeguard and care for a child. If you have previously fostered, adopted or worked with another fostering or adoption service, information may also be requested from that organisation.

Previous involvement with children’s services is considered in context. For example, an enquiry might relate to the circumstances of a child in your household, an earlier assessment or a concern that has since been resolved. The assessing social worker should discuss any relevant information with you rather than treating it as an unexplained automatic refusal.

Health assessment

Your GP or another suitably qualified medical professional may be asked to complete a health assessment. This considers whether your physical and mental health would allow you to meet the practical and emotional demands of fostering, including caring for children who may have additional needs.

The assessment is not simply a search for a perfect medical history. Health conditions, treatment and disabilities are considered individually, including how they are managed and whether any adjustments or additional support may be appropriate. You should provide accurate information about medication, ongoing treatment and relevant past conditions.

References and employment history

Personal referees are asked about your character, relationships, reliability and experience of caring for children. The agency may also seek an employment reference, particularly where your work involves children or vulnerable adults. Current and previous employers may be contacted to verify your employment history and identify any relevant safeguarding concerns.

Referees should know you well enough to give a balanced view of your suitability. They may be contacted directly or invited to provide information in writing, and the assessing social worker may discuss their responses with you if clarification is needed.

Relationship and family circumstances

The assessment considers how fostering could affect your household and how your family might respond to a child joining you. This can include discussions about relationships, previous significant relationships, children in the household, support networks and how disagreements or stressful situations are managed.

These conversations are not intended to judge ordinary family differences. They help establish whether the household has enough stability, understanding and practical capacity to manage the changes that fostering can bring.

Financial assessment

You will usually be asked about income, regular outgoings, debts, benefits and general financial commitments. The purpose is to establish that your household is financially stable and that you are not relying on fostering payments to meet essential costs before a placement is made.

Financial difficulty is not necessarily a bar to fostering, but serious unmanaged debt or financial pressure may need to be addressed. The assessment should also explain the fostering allowances and other financial support that may apply, without treating fostering as an alternative to employment or a way to make a profit.

Home safety and suitability

A social worker will visit your home to consider whether it provides suitable space and a safe environment. Areas covered can include sleeping arrangements, privacy, fire safety, household security, cleanliness, equipment, storage of medicines and hazardous substances, and the presence of pets.

The home does not need to be perfect or owned by you. It must, however, meet the relevant safety and space requirements, and there must be an appropriate bedroom arrangement for any child placed with you. You may be given actions to complete, such as fitting safety equipment or making changes to storage, before approval.

How the information is used

The checks are considered alongside interviews, references, training and the wider fostering assessment. The assessing social worker records the information in the assessment report, explains any concerns and gives you an opportunity to provide further context or evidence. The completed assessment is normally considered by a fostering panel, which makes a recommendation before the agency decision-maker reaches the final decision.

Checks are not always completed in a single stage. Information may need to be clarified, repeated or updated if circumstances change during the assessment. Being open from the beginning is usually the most helpful approach: withholding information can create greater concern than the issue itself, while relevant context allows the agency to make a fair, safeguarding-focused decision.