Will my family be involved in the fostering medical check?
Your family is not normally examined as part of your fostering medical check. If you are applying with a partner, each applicant will complete their own assessment, while relevant information about other household members may be considered where it affects the child’s care or wellbeing.
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The fostering medical assessment focuses on the applicant’s health, while family involvement usually forms part of the wider fostering assessment. The medical appointment itself is generally private. However, the fostering team may need to understand how fostering could affect the household and whether any health-related circumstances could affect the care, safety or wellbeing of a child.
During home visits and assessment discussions, household members may be invited to share their views about fostering. This can include:
- their understanding of what fostering involves;
- how fostering may affect routines, privacy and family relationships;
- their views on safer caring boundaries and household rules;
- any support needs or practical concerns they may have; and
- how they would respond to the needs and behaviour of a child placed in the household.
Children and young people already living in the household may also be asked for their views in a way that is appropriate to their age and understanding. This is part of deciding whether fostering is suitable for the whole household; it is not a medical examination or a request for them to complete the applicant’s health assessment.
Information about another household member’s health is only likely to be relevant where it could affect the proposed fostering arrangements. Examples might include a condition that affects daily care, a need for regular support, or a circumstance that could create a particular safeguarding or infection-control consideration. The existence of a health condition does not automatically prevent a household from fostering. The assessment should consider its practical effect, how it is managed and what support is available.
If information about a family member is needed, the fostering team should explain what is being requested and why. You can ask whether the information can be discussed privately and how it will be recorded and shared. Personal medical details should be handled appropriately and only shared with people who need them for the assessment or safeguarding process.
It is helpful to prepare your family before the assessment by explaining that the purpose is to understand the household as a whole, rather than to test or judge individual family members. You may wish to discuss:
- why you are considering fostering;
- how bedrooms, personal space and household routines may change;
- what confidentiality and safer caring mean in practice;
- how family members could raise concerns; and
- what help may be needed if your health or a relative’s health affects day-to-day arrangements.
Tell your fostering team about any significant change in household circumstances during the assessment, including a change in health, who lives at the address or who provides regular support. They can explain whether this needs to be considered by the fostering medical adviser or addressed through the wider assessment.
Family involvement in the wider fostering assessment should be proportionate to each person’s age, understanding and role in the household. A partner who is not applying to foster, or another adult who provides regular support, may be asked about practical arrangements rather than their own medical history. If someone is unable or uncomfortable taking part in a particular discussion, tell the fostering team so they can explain what information is needed and consider an appropriate way to gather it.
Before the assessment, agree how family members can raise questions or concerns. This helps the fostering team understand the household’s day-to-day arrangements without treating every family member as a medical applicant.
Speak to our team about family involvement in your fostering medical check
If you have questions about how your household circumstances may be considered, speak to our team for clear guidance on the next steps. We can explain what information may be needed before your fostering medical assessment.