Can I choose which age group I foster?

Foster carers can usually express a preference for the age range they feel best equipped to support, but this preference is considered alongside the assessment outcome, the type of approval granted and the needs of children requiring placements. It is not a guarantee that every placement offered will fall within that age group.

Age preferences are discussed during the initial conversations and assessment. You may be asked about:

• Whether you have experience caring for babies, younger children, teenagers or young adults.
• Which stages of childhood you understand and feel prepared to support.
• Your confidence with issues that may be more common at different ages, such as managing routines, supporting education, encouraging independence or responding to challenging behaviour.
• Whether your home, family circumstances and existing commitments are suitable for the age range being considered.
• Whether you could care for siblings together or support a child with additional needs.

The assessment looks at your abilities and circumstances rather than simply recording a preferred age. For example, someone with experience of parenting teenagers may be well placed to support an adolescent, while experience with younger children may be relevant when considering babies or primary-aged children. Previous experience is helpful, but it is not the only factor. Training, personal qualities, support networks and your willingness to learn are also considered.

Your approval will set out the kind of fostering you are considered suitable to undertake. This may include an age range, the number of children you can care for and any specific considerations identified during assessment. The approval does not mean you are required to accept every placement within that range. Before a placement begins, you should receive information about the child and have an opportunity to discuss whether the arrangement is appropriate for your household.

Matching is a careful process. The fostering service considers the child’s needs, history, relationships, education, health, location and any risks alongside your skills, household and practical circumstances. A good match is not based on age alone. Two children of the same age can need very different types of care, and a placement may involve helping a child manage contact with birth relatives, maintain important routines or remain connected with siblings.

It is sensible to be honest about the age groups you would prefer and the situations you could not manage safely. Clear boundaries help the assessing team identify suitable placements and avoid arrangements that do not fit your household. Preferences can also develop over time as you gain experience, complete further training or your family circumstances change. Any change to the type of placements you are approved for would need to be discussed with your fostering service and may require a review.

Some applicants begin with a firm preference, while others are open to more than one age group. Neither approach is automatically right. The important point is that the placement must be safe and appropriate for the child and sustainable for the foster family. Become a Foster Family can explain how age preferences are considered during assessment, what approval may involve and how matching decisions are discussed with prospective carers across the West Midlands.