When does the fostering assessment officially begin?

The formal fostering assessment begins when the agency accepts your application and records that it will proceed with assessing your suitability. An initial enquiry or introductory conversation helps you understand fostering, but it is not normally the formal start of the assessment. The agency should explain the next steps, confirm what information it needs and identify the social worker responsible for carrying out the assessment.

In England, the assessment is generally organised in two stages:

• Stage 1 focuses on the essential checks and information needed to establish whether you meet the basic requirements to foster.
• Stage 2 is the fuller assessment of your circumstances, experience, relationships, parenting capacity and ability to meet the needs of children in foster care.

The agency may complete the stages separately or combine them where appropriate. This means the phrase “assessment begins” can refer to the point at which the overall process starts, while the more detailed assessment work may begin after the initial checks and preparation have been completed.

At the beginning, your assessing social worker will usually agree an assessment plan with you. This sets out the information to be considered, the people who need to contribute and the meetings or visits that will take place. You will be asked about your reasons for fostering, your own childhood and family experiences, significant relationships, employment, health, accommodation and any responsibilities that could affect your availability to care for a child.

The assessment also considers the wider household. Everyone who lives in the home will need to understand what fostering involves, and their views may form part of the assessment. The agency will consider whether your home can provide suitable space, privacy and a safe environment, as well as how a foster child would fit into existing family routines.

Some information is gathered directly from other organisations or people with relevant knowledge of you. This can include criminal record checks, local authority checks, medical information and personal or employment references, depending on your circumstances. You should be told why each check is needed and given the opportunity to discuss anything that may require further explanation.

Training often starts during the assessment rather than after approval. It helps you understand safeguarding, attachment, trauma, behaviour, safer caring, working with birth families and the responsibilities involved in fostering. Taking part in training is also part of demonstrating that you can reflect on information and apply it to caring for a child.

There is not one identical start date for every applicant. The recorded date can depend on when the application is accepted, whether required information is available and whether the agency needs to clarify eligibility before proceeding. If circumstances change, or a check raises a question that needs further investigation, the assessing social worker should explain how this affects the plan rather than leaving you to guess.

Once the assessment is complete, the report is considered through the agency’s approval process, usually including a fostering panel or equivalent decision-making stage. The assessment itself does not guarantee approval: the final decision is based on the evidence gathered and whether the agency considers that you can meet the needs of fostered children safely and consistently.

Our local teams support applicants through each part of this process, including understanding the paperwork, preparing for assessment discussions and knowing what information the agency needs. With offices in Droitwich and Stoke and staff across the region, support is available to applicants throughout the West Midlands.