How to Become a Foster Parent

• At Family Fostering Partners we are here to guide and support you through any challenges or hurdles you may face on your fostering journey!
• Step-by-step guide to becoming a foster parent - from filling out an application form to the Fostering Panel
• An explanation of the different stages of becoming a foster parent

Becoming a foster parent is a big step, but one that can completely transform your life and the life of a foster child for the better! At Family Fostering Partners, we want to prepare you for any potential challenges and hurdles to ease any fears you may have about becoming a foster carer. We are here to guide you through every step of the application, training and approval process to ensure you feel confident on your fostering journey.

So how do you become a foster parent? We understand it can be a daunting experience, which is why you will be assigned a Family Fostering Partners link worker who will support you throughout! Below is a simple, step-by-step guide breaking down the fostering process.

Step 1 - The Application:

The initial requirement to become a foster parent is the application process, which involves getting in touch with us and formally applying to become a foster carer. You can book a call with us and can request an information pack to begin learning about the fostering process.

We also encourage you to ask us any questions you may have. Please feel assured that no question is too uncomfortable or unanswerable for our team, who have years of knowledge and experience to guide you along your way! Once you have formally applied to be a foster parent, we can move on to the assessment process.

Step 2 - The Assessment Process:

Anyone can become a foster parent; all you need is a spare bedroom and a willingness to nurture and care for a child or young person in care. There are also a few criteria that need to be fulfilled to protect the health and comfort of both the foster child and you! You and your family will be assessed by our team at Family Fostering Partners to evaluate your suitability. This stage of the process often takes between three to four months and involves discussions about your background, lifestyle, personality and skills. This allows us to get to know you and your character, making sure that we are confident in your ability to become a foster parent. We also run several background checks during this stage of the process, which involves a complete medical check-up, references from family and friends, as well as local authority checks.

Step 3 - Training:

During the assessment process, you will be invited to attend our three-day 'Skills to Foster' training course, which is an intensive programme designed to ensure you are equipped with all the required skills and to put your mind at ease during this potentially frightening process. This course is provided in a venue local to you and allows you to get a feel for the day-to-day life of a foster parent in a welcoming and supportive environment. Foster children often come from troubled backgrounds, which is why training is important to understand how to help them grow and develop as any child should!

Step 4 - Fostering Panel:

The Fostering Panel is the final stage of your journey to becoming a foster carer. Whilst this sounds daunting, we can promise you that it won't be as scary as you think! During the assessment process, your designated link worker will have produced a report detailing your suitability and any information collected during home visits and discussions. This will be presented to the panel, who will use this report to ask you some questions and then make their final decision. Once the panel has completed this assessment, you will hopefully and officially be an approved foster parent!

Step 5: You're all set!

Congratulations, you are officially an approved foster parent! Now that you've completed all of the other steps, Family Fostering Partners will work alongside you to match your skills and placement preferences to a foster child. Now the fun can begin!

Thinking about fostering? Please contact us here for more information on how to become a foster carer.