What happens after I submit my foster care application?

Submitting a foster care application starts a formal assessment process; it does not mean that approval has been granted. The fostering service considers your circumstances against the legal and practical requirements for fostering, gathers evidence from several sources and gives you opportunities to discuss your suitability before a decision is made.

1. Your application is checked for completeness

The team looks at the information you have provided and may ask you to clarify answers or supply missing details. This can include information about your household, relationships, health, employment, finances, accommodation, lifestyle and reasons for wanting to foster. Any adults who live in the household are normally included in relevant parts of the assessment.

2. Statutory and background checks are arranged

Checks help the fostering service understand whether there are any factors that could affect the safety and wellbeing of a child. Depending on your circumstances, these may include:

• Disclosure and Barring Service checks for the appropriate adults
• local authority checks
• references from people who know you well, including personal or professional referees
• health information from your GP or another medical professional
• checks relating to previous fostering, adoption or childcare roles where relevant
• verification of identity and other information supplied in your application.

A previous conviction, health condition or period of difficulty does not automatically determine the outcome. The relevance, seriousness, timing and context of any information are considered as part of the full assessment. It is important to give complete and accurate information, because undisclosed details can raise concerns about openness and safeguarding.

3. You take part in preparation training

Training helps you understand what fostering involves before you make a final commitment. Topics commonly include safeguarding, attachment and trauma, children’s development, managing behaviour, working with birth families, recording information, confidentiality and the impact of fostering on your own household.

The training is also an opportunity to consider how you would respond to realistic situations. You can ask questions, discuss concerns and identify areas where you may need further learning. Participation helps the assessing social worker understand your approach to caring for children whose experiences may have affected their behaviour and relationships.

4. The assessment looks at your capacity to foster

Your assessing social worker builds a detailed picture of your strengths, support network and circumstances. This usually involves structured discussions with you and the people in your household, along with consideration of your home environment and the practical arrangements needed to care for a child.

The assessment may explore:

• your understanding of children’s needs and safeguarding responsibilities
• how you manage stress, change, disagreement and challenging behaviour
• your ability to work openly with social workers, schools, health professionals and a child’s family
• how fostering could affect existing children or other household members
• the space, privacy and safety arrangements available in your home
• your flexibility regarding the age, needs and background of children you may be considered for.

Home-based discussions are not intended to judge whether your property is luxurious or perfectly presented. The focus is whether it can provide a safe, suitable and stable environment, with the necessary arrangements for privacy and supervision.

5. An assessment report is prepared

The information from your application, checks, training, references and discussions is brought together in a written assessment report. It should explain both your strengths and any areas requiring further consideration or support. You should have an opportunity to check factual information and raise questions about the report before it is considered formally.

In some circumstances, the assessment may identify that more information is needed, that additional support or preparation would be appropriate, or that the application cannot proceed. The reasons should be explained to you, and you can ask what the decision means and whether any review or further application route is available.

6. The application is considered for approval

Once the assessment is complete, the report is normally presented to a fostering panel. The panel considers the evidence and makes a recommendation about whether you should be approved, and may recommend the type or range of fostering placements that would be suitable. The agency decision-maker then makes the formal decision, taking the panel’s recommendation and the available evidence into account.

Approval is not simply a judgement about whether you are a good person or have brought up children before. It concerns whether your circumstances, skills, support and home can meet the assessed needs of children and young people in foster care. If approved, you will be told the terms of approval and the kinds of placements you may be considered for. These terms can be reviewed if your circumstances or fostering role changes.

What you can do while the application is being assessed

• Be open about changes to your health, household, employment, relationships or address.
• Return requested information promptly and explain if you need help obtaining it.
• Use training and assessment meetings to ask practical questions rather than trying to give answers you think the assessor wants to hear.
• Discuss the process with everyone in your household so that their views and concerns are understood.
• Tell your assessing social worker if you need an adjustment to take part fully in meetings or training.
• Read documents carefully and point out factual errors before decisions are made.

The exact order of stages can vary, and some parts may run alongside one another. Your fostering service should explain what has been completed, what information is still needed and what the next stage involves. Throughout the assessment, the local team can help you understand the requirements and prepare for the responsibilities that approval would bring.