Can I foster if I…

In short, yes you can! Fostering providers will want to ensure that, wherever you live and whether you own or rent your property, you have stability. Many foster carers rent their properties rather than own them. What is more important is that you have a spare, dedicated bedroom available for fostering.

Having a disability does not have to prevent you from fostering. Fostering providers will need to satisfy their panel that a foster carer has the physical, emotional and mental capacity to foster. During your assessment, a medical report will be produced by your GP. This will form part of the evidence of your capacity to foster. It’s important to note that fostering providers must treat everyone without prejudice and communicate in an open, transparent manner.

Yes! Your gender does not determine your capacity or suitability to foster.

Absolutely. Men can bring valuable skills, qualities and insight to fostering and are often highly valuable and influential role models. Gender and marital status do not influence your suitability to foster.

We always recommend you speak to the fostering provider early on if you are working or intend to carry on working when you foster. Whether you can work or not will be determined by the age and profile of the child you are fostering and the nature of your work. Again, the important factor is your capacity and availability. If your child is in school and you work part-time, there may be no reason why you couldn’t continue to work. Fostering providers will need to ensure that the needs of the child are prioritised and that you are available for professionals meetings and training and development.

Yes you can. Legally, only convictions relating to offences against children or sexual offences would preclude you from fostering, however violent crimes will also prevent you fostering. It’s really important that you disclose any and all convictions or cautions to your fostering service at the point of application. The fostering provider will perform enhanced DBS checks on you and will wish to explore your convictions with you in depth.

Fostering providers will request a medical report as part of your fostering assessment. Any relevant physical and mental health conditions will be shared as part of this process. To foster you need to be able to demonstrate resilience and an ability to commit. It will be these criteria that Fosteing providers will be interested in satisfying. If you have a mental health condition it should not automaically rule you out of fostering, however your fostering assessor will want to explore this with you and will determine with you your capacity to foster. Any prospective foster carer is entitled to be treated fairly, without prejudice and should expect honest, open and clear communication.

Of course! Your religion should not determine your ability to foster. As a foster carer, you will need to respect and promote the spiritual needs of the child in your care. You will need to be sure that you could support a child with differing beliefs from yours ethically, morally and spiritually.