Do you meet the basic requirements to foster?

The basic requirements to foster are the legal, personal, household and practical conditions that help a fostering service decide whether you can provide consistent care for a child. Meeting the starting criteria does not guarantee approval, because every applicant must complete an individual assessment covering their circumstances, abilities and suitability.

You can usually apply as an individual or as part of a couple. Couples do not generally need to be married, and fostering services consider applications from people in different types of relationships. A single person can also foster. The important considerations are whether you can offer dependable care, work constructively with professionals and manage the responsibilities of fostering. If you apply as a couple, both partners will be assessed, even if one person will take the lead in day-to-day care.

Your household circumstances will be considered. This includes the needs of anyone already living with you, the views of other household members and how fostering could affect your existing responsibilities. If you have children, their ages, needs and feelings about fostering will form part of the assessment. Other adults in the household may also need to take part in checks and discussions, because their behaviour and relationship with the child could affect the safety of the placement.

Good health is relevant, but a medical condition does not automatically prevent you from fostering. You will normally be asked to complete a health assessment so that the fostering service can understand whether you are physically and emotionally able to meet the demands of caring for a child. The assessment looks at your overall wellbeing, any ongoing treatment and how your health may affect consistency of care. A disability may not be a barrier where suitable arrangements can be made; the focus is on your ability to care safely and reliably.

Financial stability is part of suitability. You need to be able to manage your household finances without relying on a child’s fostering allowance to resolve serious existing difficulties. Fostering allowances are intended to contribute towards the costs of caring for a child, rather than replace careful financial planning. Your financial position may be discussed during assessment, and you should give accurate information about significant commitments, debts and regular outgoings.

You must have the right circumstances for safe family life. Fostering services consider factors such as:

• the safety and condition of your home;
• the suitability of people who live in or regularly visit the household;
• any pets and whether they can be managed safely around children;
• smoking or vaping arrangements;
• your ability to maintain routines, boundaries and privacy; and
• whether your work, travel and other commitments allow you to meet a child’s needs.

Applicants who rent their home are not automatically excluded. However, the property must be suitable and you may need to discuss fostering with your landlord, particularly where the tenancy agreement places restrictions on household arrangements. Home ownership is not a requirement in itself.

Background checks are essential. The fostering service will carry out checks on applicants and, where appropriate, other adults in the household. These can include criminal record checks, local authority checks, employment or voluntary-work references, identity checks and references from people who know you well. A previous conviction does not always rule out fostering, but offences involving violence, abuse or harm to children require particularly careful consideration and may prevent approval. You should disclose relevant information fully rather than assume that an old matter will be overlooked.

You need to be willing to work as part of a professional network. Foster carers share information appropriately with social workers, education staff, health professionals and the child’s family. This can involve attending meetings, keeping records, following care plans and supporting contact arrangements. You should be able to listen to advice, reflect on your practice and raise concerns when a child’s needs change.

Fostering is also different from providing occasional childcare for relatives or friends. The assessment considers your understanding of safeguarding, confidentiality, boundaries, trauma and the impact that moving home may have on a child. You do not need to know everything before applying, but you do need to be open to learning and to putting agreed safety plans into practice.

The process normally involves an initial discussion, an application, statutory and personal checks, a home assessment, preparation training and a detailed assessment report. The report is considered by an independent fostering panel or another authorised decision-maker, who recommends whether you should be approved and what type of fostering would be suitable. Approval is based on the evidence gathered about you, not simply on whether you meet a checklist.

If you are unsure about one aspect of your circumstances, it is sensible to discuss it with a fostering service before deciding whether to apply. Become A Foster Family can explain how the requirements relate to your situation, what information will be needed and what support is available during the assessment and beyond.