How long does a foster carer’s approval last?

In England, foster carer approval is maintained through a formal review process rather than renewed like a driving licence or other time-limited permit. The fostering service reviews whether you continue to meet the required standards and whether your approval remains suitable for the children you may care for.

Your first review takes place within the first year of approval. After that, reviews are normally carried out at least once every year. A review can also be arranged sooner if there is a significant change in your circumstances or an event that may affect your suitability to foster.

The review is an opportunity to consider how fostering is working for you and the children placed with you. It may cover:

• your fostering experience and the progress of any placements;
• your training, learning and development;
• feedback from children, parents, social workers and other professionals where relevant;
• your household circumstances, health, relationships or employment;
• any complaints, allegations, incidents or safer-care concerns;
• the support you have received and any further support you may need; and
• whether the terms of your approval still match your skills, experience and circumstances.

The fostering service will usually prepare a written review report and make a recommendation about your approval. In some circumstances, the report is considered by the fostering panel before the agency decision-maker makes the final decision. The outcome may be that your approval continues unchanged, or that the terms are amended.

Terms of approval can include matters such as the number of children you can foster, their age range, whether you can care for children of a particular gender, and whether your approval is for a specific child or type of placement. These terms should reflect what you can safely and appropriately provide. If your circumstances change, the fostering service may reassess them and recommend a variation. You can also speak to your supervising social worker if you want to discuss a different type of placement or a change to your approval.

Approval may be reviewed outside the normal annual cycle after an important change, such as a move of home, a change in household members, a significant health issue, a change in your availability, or a serious incident involving a child in your care. This does not mean that every change will end your approval. The purpose is to establish whether your fostering arrangements remain safe and suitable, and whether any additional assessment, training or safeguards are needed.

A fostering service can propose to change, suspend or terminate approval if it considers that the legal requirements or safeguarding expectations are no longer met. For example, this might follow serious concerns about a child’s safety, a failure to comply with essential fostering requirements, or circumstances that mean you cannot continue to provide suitable care. A foster carer can also choose to resign from fostering.

If a fostering service proposes a significant adverse decision, it must follow the relevant procedure and explain the reasons. Foster carers are normally given an opportunity to make representations. Depending on the circumstances, they may also have access to the Independent Review Mechanism. The precise process can depend on the type of decision and the nation of the UK in which the carer is approved.

Approval is also affected if you move to a different fostering service. Approval is not automatically transferred from one agency or local authority to another. The new service will need to consider your circumstances, experience and suitability under its own procedures, and you should discuss the transition carefully before ending an existing approval.

It is important to keep the fostering service informed about relevant changes rather than waiting for the next annual review. Tell your supervising social worker about changes to your household, health, relationships, employment, home or ability to accept placements. Keeping records up to date helps the service assess whether your approval remains appropriate and identify any support or training that would help.

Annual reviews are therefore not simply a renewal deadline. They are part of the continuing assessment and support framework for foster carers. The fostering service should use them to check that approval remains appropriate, recognise development needs and make sure the arrangements around you continue to support safe, stable placements.

Rules and procedures differ across the UK, so anyone approved outside England should check the requirements that apply in their nation. If you are considering fostering in the West Midlands, Become A Foster Family can explain how the assessment, approval and review process works and what ongoing support is available to foster families.