Can long-term foster carers foster more than one child?

Long-term foster carers may be approved to care for more than one child, but the number and combination of placements will be decided through the assessment and matching process. Approval is based on what the household can safely manage, rather than on a standard number of children for every carer.

Several factors are considered before more than one child is placed, including:

• the size and layout of the home, including suitable sleeping arrangements;
• the carer’s experience, skills and confidence in meeting different needs;
• the ages, personalities and routines of the children already in the household;
• the needs arising from trauma, separation, disability, health or behaviour;
• the effect of another placement on the carer’s own children and other household members; and
• the practical support available from relatives, professionals and the fostering service.

Some carers are considered for sibling groups because keeping brothers and sisters together can help preserve important family relationships. Whether siblings share a bedroom or need separate rooms depends on their ages, individual needs, safeguarding considerations and the requirements of the fostering service. A sibling placement is not automatically suitable simply because the children are related.

Children who are not related may also be placed in the same fostering household. This requires careful consideration of compatibility, including how the children may influence one another, whether their needs can be met alongside each other and whether everyone can feel safe and settled. A fostering service will not usually recommend an additional placement if it is likely to undermine an existing child’s stability or the household’s ability to provide consistent care.

During assessment, applicants discuss the number, age range and types of placements they may be able to accept. The assessment considers the whole household, including bedrooms, working arrangements, transport, family commitments and the capacity to manage appointments, education and contact arrangements. The resulting approval sets boundaries around the placements that may be offered; it is not permission to accept any combination of children.

Each proposed placement is then considered individually. Before carers agree, they should receive relevant information about the child’s history, needs, relationships, education, health and contact arrangements. This information helps everyone decide whether the placement is suitable and whether the household can provide the right level of care over the long term. Carers can ask questions and raise concerns before making a decision.

Taking more than one child can involve additional responsibilities. Carers may need to establish separate routines, attend different meetings, support contact with birth family members and respond to differing emotional or behavioural needs. Sibling groups may have shared experiences but still need individual attention, boundaries and opportunities to develop their own identity.

Long-term fostering approval can be reviewed if circumstances change. For example, the needs of a child may become more complex, a child may leave the household, or the family’s accommodation or circumstances may alter. Carers should discuss any proposed change with their fostering service rather than assuming that an extra placement will be suitable.

Training and ongoing support help carers understand how to manage multiple placements safely. This can include preparation for trauma-related behaviour, safer caring, safeguarding, attachment, managing conflict and working with schools and other professionals. Allowances are intended to contribute towards the costs of caring for each child, with the amount and arrangements explained by the fostering service because they can vary according to the placement.

In practice, the most suitable arrangement may be one child, a sibling group or more than one unrelated child. The decision should always be based on the children’s welfare and the household’s capacity to provide stable, individualised care, not simply on the number of available bedrooms.