Can I foster if I have pets at home?

Having a pet does not automatically prevent you from becoming a foster carer. The assessment will consider whether your animals, home and daily routines can provide a safe environment for a child, while also protecting the welfare of the pets themselves.

The fostering assessment is likely to look at:

• Temperament and behaviour: whether your pets are calm, predictable and suitably managed around children, visitors and unfamiliar situations.
• Supervision: how you would supervise contact between a child and an animal, particularly during the early stages of a placement.
• Health and care: whether pets receive appropriate veterinary care, vaccinations where relevant, parasite control and routine care.
• Living arrangements: where animals eat, sleep and spend time, and whether you can keep them separate from a child when necessary.
• Household routines: whether feeding, walking, cleaning and other responsibilities can be managed alongside the needs of a foster child.

You may be asked for information about your pets and their history. Depending on the animal and the circumstances, this could include veterinary details or an assessment of behaviour. You should give accurate information about any previous incidents, including problems involving other animals or children. Concealing a concern can create a greater safeguarding risk and may affect the assessment.

Dogs usually receive particular attention because of their size, strength and ability to cause injury, but all animals need to be considered. Cats, rabbits, birds, reptiles, horses and other pets may raise different issues, such as bites, scratches, allergies, zoonotic infection, escape risks or the need for specialist handling. The relevant question is not simply what type of animal you own, but whether its behaviour and care arrangements are compatible with fostering.

A child’s individual circumstances will also matter. Some children may be frightened of animals, have allergies, struggle to understand boundaries or have behaviours that could unsettle a pet. Others may have experienced neglect or harm involving animals. Before a placement is agreed, the fostering team should consider whether the child and your pets are a suitable match, rather than assuming that every child can live safely with every animal.

Practical safeguards may include:

• keeping pets and children apart when they cannot be directly supervised;
• teaching the child not to disturb an animal while it is eating, sleeping or caring for young;
• providing pets with a quiet, child-free area;
• using secure gates, doors, hutches, cages or other appropriate barriers;
• storing food, medicines, cleaning products and animal equipment safely;
• following agreed arrangements for walks, feeding, cleaning and veterinary care; and
• reporting changes in an animal’s behaviour or a child’s response to the pet.

Approval does not mean that every future placement will be suitable for your household. Matching decisions take account of the child’s needs, the risks identified during assessment and the arrangements needed to keep everyone safe. If circumstances change—for example, you take on a new animal, a pet develops behavioural difficulties or a child’s needs change—tell your fostering team so the safety plan can be reviewed.

When you enquire about fostering, provide a full picture of the animals in your home and ask how they will be considered during assessment. The team can explain what information is needed, discuss any concerns and help you understand whether adjustments to your routines or home arrangements may be required.