Do you need a licence to be a foster parent in England?

Although there is no personal foster-parent licence, fostering in England is a regulated form of care. You can only foster after a fostering service has assessed you and formally approved you as a foster carer. The service may be your local authority or an independent fostering agency.

The approval process creates a legal and professional framework around your role. It is not an informal arrangement between you and a child’s family. Once approved, you foster on behalf of the service responsible for placing children with you, and you must follow its policies, recording requirements and safeguarding procedures.

What approval involves

A fostering service carries out a full assessment of your suitability. This normally includes consideration of:

• your identity, household and personal circumstances;
• your health and ability to meet the demands of fostering;
• your experience of caring for children and your understanding of their needs;
• your home, spare bedroom and ability to provide a safe environment;
• your relationships, support network and any other people living in or regularly visiting the household;
• references and relevant information from employers, professionals and other agencies; and
• your ability to work with social workers, education professionals, birth families and the fostering service.

You will also be expected to complete preparation training and take part in detailed assessment interviews. These stages help the fostering service decide which types of placements may be appropriate for you and whether your household can provide safe, consistent care.

Who decides whether you are approved?

After the assessment, your fostering service prepares a written report. This is usually considered by a fostering panel, which makes a recommendation about your suitability. The agency decision-maker then makes the formal approval decision. The panel itself does not issue a licence.

If you are approved, the fostering service records your terms of approval . These describe the placements you are approved to accept, such as the number of children, their age range, and whether you can care for particular needs or placement types. You should only accept placements that fall within those terms unless the appropriate legal process is followed to change them.

What happens after approval?

Approval does not mean that you receive a permanent licence that can simply be left unchanged. Fostering services review carers regularly, including their practice, training, development and continued suitability. Your terms of approval may be changed if your circumstances or skills change, or if a different type of placement is being considered.

You must tell the fostering service about significant changes that could affect fostering. Examples may include a change of address, household member, relationship, health, employment or criminal investigation. The service will explain what must be reported and how it will assess the change.

Approval can be suspended, varied or ended in certain circumstances, following the relevant procedures. This is different from renewing a driving licence or business licence: foster-carer approval is an ongoing regulated arrangement subject to review and safeguarding requirements.

What does Ofsted’s role mean?

Ofsted regulates and inspects fostering services in England. It does not give each foster carer a personal licence. The fostering service remains responsible for assessing and approving its carers, supervising placements and ensuring that children are cared for in line with the required standards.

If you are considering fostering, ask the service you approach to explain its assessment stages, the documents it will request, the training expected before approval and the terms of approval it may recommend. Become a Foster Family provides information, guidance, training and ongoing support for people exploring fostering across the West Midlands, including Birmingham, Worcestershire, Staffordshire and surrounding areas.