What checks are needed for household members when fostering in Worcestershire?

Household members are assessed as part of the fostering approval process because their relationships, behaviour and involvement in family life can affect a child placed in the home. The assessment is not limited to the person applying to foster: the fostering agency will consider everyone who lives in the household, and may also consider adults who spend significant or regular time there.

Who may be included in the checks?

• Adults aged 16 or over who live in the household will normally require relevant safeguarding checks.
• Children and young people in the household will be considered in an age-appropriate way, including how they feel about fostering and how a placement could affect them.
• Partners, relatives or other adults who regularly stay overnight or have a significant role in the household may also need to provide information or complete checks.
• People who provide regular childcare, transport or unsupervised contact with a fostered child may need additional assessment, depending on their role.

The agency will clarify who falls within these categories. A visitor who occasionally comes to the home will not usually be assessed in the same way as someone who lives there or has regular responsibility for a child.

What information is considered?

For adult household members, the agency will normally establish their identity, address history and relationship to the applicant. It will arrange the appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service checks and may ask about previous addresses, time spent living abroad, employment and any relevant safeguarding concerns. If someone has lived outside the UK, the agency will explain what overseas information can be obtained and what further evidence may be needed where a UK check cannot provide a complete history.

Household members may be spoken to separately or as part of family discussions. The purpose is to understand their views about fostering, their expectations, and whether they can respect confidentiality and the child’s boundaries. The assessor may explore how the household manages disagreements, visitors, pets, personal space and changes to daily routines. These discussions help identify practical issues before approval rather than treating a household member’s concerns as an automatic reason not to foster.

Health and wellbeing information

The agency needs to consider whether the household can provide a stable and safe environment. An applicant’s medical assessment is normally more detailed, but information about another household member’s health may be relevant if it could affect supervision, household safety or the care that can reasonably be provided. This should be handled sensitively and proportionately. A medical condition or disability does not automatically prevent a family from fostering; the important question is how it affects the household and whether suitable arrangements can be made.

What happens if a check raises a concern?

A criminal-record entry, past difficulty or disagreement about fostering is not automatically a refusal. The agency should consider the nature and seriousness of the information, how long ago it occurred, the person’s age at the time, any pattern of behaviour and the relevance to safeguarding. It may ask for further explanation, supporting documents or a more detailed discussion before reaching a decision. Concealing information is generally more concerning than disclosing an old or minor issue openly, because the assessment depends on accurate information.

Household members should answer questions honestly and raise uncertainties early. They should also tell the agency if their circumstances change during assessment, such as a new adult moving in, a change in relationship, a conviction or caution, or a significant health issue. Approval does not end the agency’s responsibility to review the household: important changes must be considered through ongoing supervision and review.

How children in the household are involved

Children living at home should be given information they can understand and a genuine opportunity to express their views. The agency may use age-appropriate conversations, activities or visits rather than expecting a young child to take part in an adult-style interview. Their views are important, but they are not expected to make the approval decision. The assessment should consider their privacy, belongings, routines, safety and access to support if fostering affects family life.

Before applying, discuss fostering with everyone who lives in the home. Ask what they understand about the role, what they may find difficult and which boundaries will be needed. During the assessment, keep requested documents available, attend interviews together where appropriate and ask the assessing social worker to explain any check you do not understand. The agency can then identify any further information required and confirm how each person’s information will be used and stored.