What checks are needed to foster in Wolverhampton?

The checks involved in fostering are designed to establish whether you and your household can provide safe, stable and consistent care. They look at your identity, history, health, relationships, home environment and ability to work with professionals, rather than relying on a single pass-or-fail test.

Identity and household checks

You will be asked to provide evidence of your identity and address history. The fostering service will also need information about everyone who lives in your home, including children and other adults. Adults in the household may need relevant safeguarding checks, and the service will consider the effect of each person’s circumstances on a child placed with you.

You should also tell the fostering service about people who regularly stay in your home or have a significant role in your household. The checks required will depend on the nature of their involvement. This is why it is important to discuss your household openly at the beginning of the assessment.

Criminal record and safeguarding checks

An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check is used to identify relevant convictions, cautions and other information that may affect a person’s suitability to foster. The purpose is to assess safeguarding risk, not to exclude every applicant who has ever had contact with the police.

A record does not automatically mean that you cannot foster. The fostering service will consider the nature of the offence, how long ago it happened, your age and circumstances at the time, any pattern of behaviour, and what has changed since then. Certain offences involving children or serious violence are likely to prevent approval, but the service will explain how the rules apply to your circumstances. Being open is essential; failing to disclose information can create a more serious concern than an old matter that is discussed honestly.

Safeguarding information may also be sought from relevant local authorities. This can help identify previous involvement with children’s services, including information connected with your own children or with earlier applications to foster or adopt. If you have lived elsewhere, worked with children, fostered or applied to foster in the past, additional enquiries may be needed.

Health assessment

A medical assessment helps establish whether your physical and mental health would allow you to meet the demands of fostering. You may be asked to give consent for information from your GP or another healthcare professional to be considered by the fostering service’s medical adviser.

This is not normally about expecting perfect health. The relevant questions include whether you can manage the practical demands of caring for a child, respond reliably to their needs and cope with the emotional pressures of fostering. Existing conditions should be discussed accurately so that appropriate support and realistic plans can be considered.

References and employment information

Personal referees are usually people who know you well over a significant period and can comment on your relationships, reliability, approach to children and ability to manage difficulties. Family members may not be accepted as the only source of references. Referees may be contacted directly and could be asked to provide written information or take part in a discussion.

If you are employed, an employer’s reference may be requested. This can help establish your reliability and whether your working arrangements are compatible with fostering responsibilities. If your circumstances change during the assessment, tell the fostering service so that the impact can be considered rather than leaving it to be discovered later.

Home and safety assessment

A social worker will visit your home and discuss how it would meet a foster child’s needs. The assessment considers privacy, sleeping arrangements, general safety, household routines and whether there is suitable space for belongings and personal time. It is not an inspection for decorative standards; the focus is on whether the home is safe, appropriate and stable.

The assessor may ask about visitors, smoking, animals, transport, neighbourhood facilities and any risks that could affect a child. Pets are considered individually, including their behaviour and how they would be managed around a child. Any required safety changes should be identified during the assessment, giving you an opportunity to address them before approval is considered.

Relationships, experience and practical circumstances

Interviews will explore your childhood, relationships, significant life events, support network, experience of caring for children and reasons for fostering. This can include discussion of previous difficulties, bereavements, separation, health challenges or other events that may affect your capacity to care for a child. The purpose is to understand your resilience, insight and ability to reflect, not to judge you for having faced problems.

The fostering service may also ask for information about your finances. Fostering should not place a household under avoidable financial pressure, so the assessment considers whether you can manage your existing commitments and provide day-to-day care. You should give accurate information and explain any circumstances that could affect your stability.

What you need to provide

• Proof of identity and relevant address history.
• Consent and information for safeguarding and criminal record checks.
• Details of household members and other people closely involved in family life.
• Health information and consent for a medical assessment.
• Contact details for suitable personal and employment referees.
• Information about previous fostering, adoption, care proceedings or work involving children, where applicable.
• Details of your home, finances, support network and practical arrangements.

Some enquiries can take longer when information is missing, an address history is complicated, a referee cannot be contacted or police information from another country is needed. Tell your assessor promptly if you are unsure about a question or cannot obtain a document. The fostering service can explain what alternative evidence may be acceptable and what needs further clarification.

Once the information has been gathered, your assessing social worker uses it to prepare an assessment report. You should have the opportunity to check factual details and comment on the report before it is considered by the fostering panel. The final decision is based on the complete assessment, including strengths, risks, support needs and the types of placements that may be suitable—not simply on the outcome of one individual check.