Could changes in your circumstances affect when you start fostering?

A change in circumstances can affect your fostering timetable because the assessment must reflect your current situation, not the circumstances that existed when you first enquired. The effect depends on what has changed, when it happens and whether the fostering service needs further information before it can make a recommendation or arrange a placement.

Changes are considered individually. They do not automatically mean that you cannot foster, but they may require the assessment to pause while the service confirms that fostering remains safe, realistic and properly supported. This may involve updated checks, additional references, a further medical opinion, a home visit or more discussion with the people in your household.

The stage of your application makes a difference:

• Before assessment: the service may need to establish whether your new situation meets the basic requirements and whether the timing is appropriate for you to begin the assessment.
• During assessment: information already gathered may need to be reviewed. Your assessor might explore how the change affects your availability, household routines, support network, finances, health or ability to meet the needs of a child.
• Before approval: the fostering panel or decision-maker must have accurate, up-to-date information. If circumstances have changed since reports were prepared, the paperwork may need to be amended before a recommendation can be considered.
• After approval but before a placement: the service may reassess whether the approved household remains suitable for a particular placement. A change may affect the age range, number of children or types of placement that can be considered.

Examples of changes that may need to be discussed include moving home, a new adult or child joining the household, someone leaving, a pregnancy, a major change in employment or working patterns, a significant health development, a relationship breakdown, or a change in the support available from family and friends. A change in the household’s finances or daily routine can also be relevant if it affects practical capacity to foster.

Some changes will have a limited effect. For example, a new work pattern may be manageable if it still allows you to meet the expectations of fostering and suitable childcare or support is available. Other changes may require more careful consideration. A move could mean checking the new property, sleeping arrangements, school and transport options, while a health development may require updated medical information about how fostering could affect you and how you would manage the demands of the role.

You should tell your fostering service about relevant changes as soon as you become aware of them. It is better to provide accurate information while your assessment is in progress than to allow reports to become out of date. Your assessor can then explain what evidence is needed and whether any parts of the process need to be repeated. Failing to disclose a material change can create greater difficulties later, particularly if it affects household safety or the information relied upon for approval.

The service will usually look at the change alongside your overall circumstances rather than making a decision based on one factor alone. It may consider your ability to provide consistent care, the needs of children who may be placed with you, the views of other household members, and whether the necessary practical and professional support is in place. Where the change is temporary, the service may discuss whether postponing the next stage is more appropriate than ending the application.

If you are already approved, a change does not necessarily remove your approval. However, you may need to notify the service, complete updated information or agree a temporary pause in placements while the situation is reviewed. The service may also need to reconsider your safer caring arrangements or whether an individual placement remains suitable.

When reporting a change, explain what has happened, when it happened, who it affects and what practical arrangements are now in place. Ask which documents or checks are required and whether the change affects your expected timescale. The fostering team can then give advice based on your actual circumstances rather than making assumptions about how the change will affect your application.