How are foster families assessed before a child is placed with them?

Before a child is placed, a fostering assessment is a structured evaluation of whether applicants can meet the needs of a child safely and consistently. It looks beyond the physical home to the applicants’ motivation, relationships, parenting approach, resilience, understanding of children in care and ability to work with professionals and the child’s family.

The assessment is usually led by a qualified social worker, who gets to know the applicants through detailed discussions and evidence gathering. Applicants are expected to be open about their circumstances, experiences and expectations. The purpose is not to find a perfect family; it is to understand the strengths, circumstances and support needs of the household, then decide what type of fostering would be appropriate.

Key areas considered include:

• Motivation: why the applicants want to foster and whether their expectations reflect the realities of caring for children who may have experienced loss, neglect, abuse or disruption.
• Parenting and relationships: how adults manage boundaries, disagreement and change, and how the household’s relationships may affect a child joining the family.
• Understanding of children in care: whether applicants recognise the importance of identity, family connections, education, health, culture and emotional development.
• Capacity and resilience: how the household copes with stress, uncertainty and challenging behaviour, and whether applicants can ask for help and use professional advice.
• Practical availability: how fostering would fit alongside employment, caring responsibilities, children’s routines and other commitments.
• Working with others: whether applicants can communicate constructively with social workers, schools, health professionals, birth family members and other people involved in the child’s care.
• Whole-household views: the effect of fostering on everyone living in the home, including children and other adults. Their views and any concerns form part of the overall evaluation.

Applicants normally complete preparation training during the assessment process. This helps them explore subjects such as trauma, attachment, safeguarding, behaviour, safer caring, contact with birth families and the effects of moving home. The assessment social worker then considers how the applicants have engaged with these subjects and whether they can apply the learning to everyday situations.

The social worker records the findings in a detailed assessment report, often known as a Form F report. It sets out the applicants’ background, strengths, areas requiring further development, proposed approval terms and the support that may be needed. Applicants should be given the opportunity to check the factual accuracy of the report and provide comments before it is considered.

The report is presented to a fostering panel. The panel is made up of people with relevant experience and expertise, and it considers whether the evidence supports approval. Applicants are generally invited to attend and may be asked questions about their assessment. The panel makes a recommendation, but the final decision is made by the fostering service’s agency decision-maker.

If approval is granted, it normally specifies the kind of placements the foster family is considered able to offer. This may include the age range, number of children, whether siblings could be cared for together and any conditions or limitations identified during assessment. Approval does not mean that a child is automatically placed. A separate matching process is used to compare a child’s needs with the approved family’s skills, circumstances and support plan.

An assessment may identify actions that need to be completed before approval, such as further learning, additional information or changes to arrangements in the household. In some cases, approval is not recommended if the evidence does not show that fostering would be safe or suitable at that time. Applicants should receive an explanation of the decision and information about the relevant review or representation process.

Assessment is therefore both a decision-making process and a preparation process. It gives the fostering service a clear basis for approval while helping applicants understand the children they may care for, the responsibilities involved and the support they are likely to need once a placement is considered.