What background checks do foster carers need to complete?

Background checks are a required part of the fostering assessment process. They help the fostering service understand your circumstances, identify any safeguarding concerns and decide whether you can provide safe, consistent care for a child. Checks normally cover you, other adults in your household and, where relevant, people who have regular or significant involvement in your home.

Criminal record and safeguarding checks

The fostering service will arrange the appropriate level of Disclosure and Barring Service check for each relevant adult. This can include checks against the children’s barred list where the role and circumstances require it. The process involves confirming identity and address details, so the information on your application must be accurate and complete.

A criminal record does not automatically mean that you cannot foster. The fostering service will consider the nature of an offence, how long ago it occurred, the circumstances, any pattern of behaviour and its relevance to caring for children. Safeguarding offences, violence, offences involving children and other serious concerns are likely to receive particularly careful consideration. Being open from the beginning is important: failing to disclose information or providing misleading details can raise concerns about your suitability, even where the original matter might have been assessed differently.

Checks may also be needed for adult household members and, depending on the circumstances, regular visitors or people who provide substantial support. This is because the assessment considers the wider environment in which a child would live, not just the named applicant.

Local authority and previous-care checks

The fostering service may contact relevant local authorities to establish whether you or another household member is known to children’s services. This can include information about previous involvement with social care, safeguarding concerns or earlier fostering or adoption applications. If you have lived in different areas, more than one authority may need to be contacted.

If you have previously fostered, adopted or cared for children through an agency or local authority, the service may seek information about that experience. The purpose is not to penalise someone for having a previous application or placement, but to understand the full background and learn from relevant information.

References

Personal and professional references help the assessing social worker build a balanced picture of your character, relationships, reliability and ability to care for children. Referees are usually people who have known you well for a significant period and are able to comment honestly on your suitability. Depending on your circumstances, the service may seek information from an employer, former partner or another person with relevant knowledge of your family life.

Referees may be asked about how you manage responsibility, respond under pressure, work with other people and deal with children. They should understand that fostering involves confidentiality, professional boundaries and cooperation with social workers, schools, health professionals and birth families. References are considered alongside the rest of the assessment rather than used in isolation.

Health information

A health assessment helps establish whether you are physically and emotionally able to undertake fostering and meet the needs of a child. You will normally be asked to give consent for relevant medical information to be obtained, often through your GP or another appropriately qualified health professional. The assessment can consider long-term conditions, medication, mobility, mental health and any treatment or support you receive.

Having a health condition does not automatically prevent you from fostering. The key considerations are how it affects your ability to provide safe and dependable care, whether reasonable adjustments are possible and whether the demands of fostering can be managed alongside your own wellbeing. You should disclose relevant information accurately so that the assessment reflects your actual circumstances.

Other information that may be checked

• Identity and address history: you may need to provide documents confirming who you are and where you have lived.
• Employment and education: the assessing service may verify parts of your work or education history, particularly where they help explain gaps or experience with children.
• Time spent overseas: if you have lived abroad, additional enquiries may be necessary where records are available. The fostering service will explain what evidence can be obtained and what alternative information may be needed.
• Household circumstances: the assessment can consider relationships, home arrangements, pets, support networks and any factors that could affect a child’s safety or wellbeing.
• Financial circumstances: you may be asked for information to show that your household can manage financially. This is different from a credit check for borrowing and is intended to understand whether financial pressure could affect the placement.

How the checks fit into the assessment

Checks are completed at different points during the fostering application. You will be asked to provide consent, complete forms and supply documents or explanations when required. Some enquiries can take longer if information must be requested from another organisation, if records need clarification or if you have lived in several areas or countries.

The assessing social worker will discuss relevant information with you and consider it alongside interviews, household visits, training, references and other assessment evidence. You should have an opportunity to explain anything that appears on a record, including information that is old, inaccurate or missing important context. Decisions should be based on the complete safeguarding picture rather than on one isolated detail.

It is also important to tell the fostering service about significant changes during the assessment, such as a new adult moving into the household, a criminal investigation, a change in health or a major change in family circumstances. Further checks may be required during the fostering journey when household circumstances change or records need to be renewed under the service’s procedures.

Before starting, ask the fostering service what documents and consents it needs, which household members must be checked and how it will handle confidential information. Providing complete, truthful information and responding promptly to requests helps the assessment team make a properly informed decision about your suitability to foster.