How long do fostering checks usually take?

Fostering checks usually take several weeks to complete, although there is no standard timescale. The length depends on which checks are needed, whether you have lived or worked in different places, how quickly organisations provide information and whether any details need clarification. Checks are completed as part of the wider fostering assessment, rather than as a separate step that always happens at the beginning or end.

The purpose of these checks is to help the fostering service understand your circumstances and assess whether you can provide a safe, stable and suitable home. A delay does not automatically mean there is a problem with your application. It may simply mean that an organisation is still confirming information or that further detail is required.

Common checks and enquiries include:

• Enhanced DBS checks: These are carried out for applicants and relevant members of the household aged 16 or over. The check considers criminal records and other information that may be relevant to safeguarding.
• Local authority checks: The fostering service may contact local authorities where you have lived or where children in your household have received services. Previous involvement with children’s services is considered in context; it is not assessed in isolation.
• Medical information: Your GP or another appropriate medical professional provides information about your health. The question is whether your health allows you to meet the demands of fostering and care safely, not whether you have a completely clear medical history.
• Personal and professional references: Referees may be asked about your character, relationships, reliability, parenting or caring experience and ability to work with other professionals.
• Identity, residence and employment information: You may need to provide documents confirming your identity, address history and work circumstances. If you have lived or worked outside the UK, additional information may be needed.
• Household and financial information: The assessment looks at the stability of your household and whether your finances are sufficiently secure for fostering. Foster care allowances are intended to support the costs of caring, but they should not be treated as a replacement for stable household income.

DBS checks can be affected by incomplete address histories, changes of name, multiple addresses or information held by more than one police force. Checks involving another country or another local authority can also require additional enquiries. Medical information may take longer where your GP needs to obtain records or ask for clarification. References can be delayed if a referee is unavailable or does not return the information requested.

The fostering service will normally discuss any issue raised by a check with you. You should be open about convictions, cautions, previous involvement with social care, health conditions, financial difficulties or significant changes in your circumstances. Trying to leave out information can create more difficulty than the issue itself, because the assessment depends on accurate and honest information.

You can help the checks progress by completing forms carefully, giving a full address and employment history, supplying requested documents promptly and choosing suitable referees who understand that they will need to provide detailed information. Let the fostering service know if your name, address, household or work circumstances change while checks are under way.

Some information may need to be checked again if the assessment takes a long time or your circumstances change. For example, a new household member, a move to another address or a change in health may lead to further enquiries. This is part of keeping the assessment current and ensuring that any recommendation is based on your present circumstances.

When the required information has been gathered, the assessing social worker considers it alongside interviews, training, home visits and references. The completed assessment is then prepared for consideration by the fostering panel or the relevant decision-maker. The checks are therefore important, but they are only one part of deciding whether fostering approval is appropriate.

If you are concerned that a particular check is taking longer than expected, ask your fostering service which information is still outstanding and whether you need to provide anything else. They can explain the reason for the delay, confirm what happens next and tell you if the assessment timetable has changed.