What checks are required before fostering in Gloucestershire?
Before fostering in Gloucestershire, applicants normally complete enhanced DBS checks, health checks, personal references and a detailed assessment of their household and circumstances. This includes home visits to assess safety and suitability, along with interviews and checks involving other household members where appropriate.
Partnering with an
Ofsted Outstanding Provider
The checks completed before approval are designed to establish whether fostering would be safe, suitable and manageable for your household. They form part of a wider fostering assessment rather than acting as a simple pass-or-fail test. The fostering service considers the information as a whole, including your circumstances, experience, relationships, home life and ability to meet the needs of a child.
As well as the checks already outlined, applicants should expect the assessment to look at:
- Identity and address history: You will normally need to provide documents confirming who you are, where you live and where you have lived previously. Any changes of name or gaps in your address history should be explained.
- Employment and financial circumstances: The assessment may consider your work, income, outgoings and debts. This is not generally about having a particular level of wealth; it is about understanding whether your household is financially stable and whether fostering payments would be relied on to meet essential costs.
- Local authority information: Enquiries may be made with relevant local authorities, including authorities connected with previous addresses or earlier involvement with children’s services. This helps identify information that may be relevant to safeguarding or family circumstances.
- Household members and regular visitors: Adults who live in the home, and sometimes other people who have regular contact with children placed there, may need to provide information or complete appropriate checks. The exact requirements depend on their age, role and level of contact.
- Previous relationships and caring roles: Where relevant, the service may ask about former partners, previous fostering or adoption applications, work with children and other responsibilities involving vulnerable people. This is intended to create an accurate picture of your experience and support network.
It is important to be open about convictions, cautions, investigations, previous involvement with social care or other matters that could appear during assessment. A conviction does not automatically mean that an application will be refused, because its relevance, seriousness, age and circumstances may all be considered. However, certain offences and safeguarding concerns can prevent approval, so withholding information can create additional concerns and may affect the assessment.
Checks are completed with your knowledge and consent. You will usually be asked to provide documents, contact details for referees and permission for information to be requested from the appropriate organisations. References should come from people who know you well enough to comment meaningfully on your character, relationships and ability to care for children. The fostering service may ask for clarification if information is incomplete, inconsistent or needs further context.
The assessment also considers whether your household can provide a stable environment for a child. This can include your support network, family relationships, availability, experience of children, understanding of safeguarding and ability to work with social workers, schools, health professionals and a child’s birth family. Any children already living in the household may be helped to understand what fostering would mean for them, and their views may form part of the overall assessment.
After the information has been gathered, it is brought together in a written assessment report. You should have an opportunity to check the factual accuracy of the report and raise questions about anything you believe is missing or incorrect. The completed assessment is then considered through the fostering service’s approval process, which normally includes consideration by a fostering panel and a final decision by the agency decision-maker.
Preparing documents early can make the process clearer. Keep details of previous addresses, employers, referees and relevant dates to hand, and discuss any potentially sensitive information with your assessing social worker at the outset. The team can explain which checks apply to your particular household and what further information may be needed before a decision is made.
The health check is used to understand whether fostering is manageable for you and whether any support or adjustments may be needed. It is not a requirement to have perfect health. With your consent, relevant medical information may be considered by a medical adviser, including conditions, treatment and any factors that could affect your ability to care for a child safely and consistently.
If a health issue is identified, the fostering service will consider its practical impact alongside the rest of your assessment. You may be asked for further information or clarification, but a medical condition does not automatically prevent you from fostering. The important point is that the assessment has an accurate picture of your health before approval is considered.
Discuss the checks required before fostering in Gloucestershire
Speak with our team to discuss your circumstances and understand the next steps towards fostering in Gloucestershire. We can explain how the assessment process would apply to your household before you decide whether to apply.