Who carries out a foster care assessment?

The assessment is led by a qualified social worker appointed by the fostering service you apply to. This may be a social worker employed by a local authority fostering team or by an independent fostering agency. Their role is to gather and analyse evidence about your ability to provide safe, consistent and nurturing care, rather than simply to decide whether you would like to foster.

The assessing social worker normally becomes your main professional contact during the assessment. They will explain the stages, agree arrangements for meetings and home visits, and ask detailed questions about matters such as:

• your reasons for wanting to foster and your understanding of the role;
• your childhood, relationships, household and wider support network;
• your health, lifestyle, work commitments and financial circumstances;
• your experience of caring for or working with children;
• how you would manage behaviour, boundaries, safeguarding concerns and contact with a child’s family; and
• how everyone in your household feels about fostering and would contribute to the arrangement.

The social worker does not work alone. Information may also be provided by other professionals and people who know you, including referees, your GP or other health professionals, employers and organisations involved in the required statutory checks. Household members and, where appropriate, children in the family may be spoken to separately so that their views can be understood. The assessing social worker considers all of this information together and should discuss any gaps, concerns or differing accounts with you.

In some situations, more than one social worker may contribute to an assessment. This can happen where an assessment is shared between professionals, where specialist input is needed, or where the allocated social worker changes. The fostering service remains responsible for making sure the work is completed properly and that the final assessment report gives a balanced account of your strengths, support needs and any areas requiring further consideration.

The assessing social worker writes the assessment report, commonly known as a Form F report. This report does not simply record whether the social worker personally approves of your application. It sets out the evidence gathered, your circumstances, your capacity to meet children’s needs, the types of placements that may be suitable and any recommended support or conditions. You should have an opportunity to check the factual accuracy of the report and comment on its contents before it is considered formally.

The fostering panel is separate from the assessing social worker. Panel members review the completed report and supporting information, may ask questions at a panel meeting and make a recommendation about approval. The agency decision-maker then considers the recommendation and makes the formal decision for the fostering service. This separation helps ensure that the assessment, recommendation and final decision are not all made by one person.

After approval, your main professional contact will usually change. A supervising social worker normally supports you as an approved foster carer, while the child placed with you may have their own social worker employed by the responsible local authority. These roles are different:

• Assessing social worker: carries out the pre-approval assessment and prepares the report.
• Fostering panel: reviews the evidence and recommends whether approval should be given.
• Agency decision-maker: makes the fostering service’s formal approval decision.
• Supervising social worker: supports and supervises you after approval.
• Child’s social worker: oversees the child’s care plan and welfare on behalf of the responsible local authority.

Become a Foster Family can explain which fostering service will appoint the assessing social worker, what information they will need and how the different professional roles fit together. Understanding these responsibilities can make the assessment process clearer and help you prepare honest, considered answers to the questions you will be asked.