Here are the steps to becoming a foster family with Assured Fostering. You’ll also need to meet these basic requirements to become a foster carer:
- You’re aged 21 or over
- You have a spare bedroom
- You have the legal right to live and work in the UK
- You’re passionate about making a life-changing difference
We, as Assured Fostering, are dedicated to supporting our foster carers and building long-lasting relationships with you and our children. We would love to hear from you if you have the same dedication.
Following your enquiry, by telephone, email or online, you will be contacted by one of our team. We will take some initial details about you, your family, employment, and experience then arrange an initial visit to meet with you in your home and discuss you plan to foster in more detail. Following this visit an application pack will be sent to you. The pack offers further detail about fostering and the application and assessment process.
Everyone who wants to become a foster carer must have an assessment. This follows your application and is an evaluation of your suitability to become a foster carer by looking at your experiences and skills. The assessment takes 4 – 6 months to complete and consists of 8 – 10 home visits by your assessor who will spend time with you gathering information about your life, relationships, parenting skills, and ability to provide a safe and supportive environment for children in foster care.
While the process to become a foster carer is detailed, and can be intrusive, your experienced assessing social worker and your local team will be with you every step of the way. It will be worth your effort to have a career in foster care, and to begin caring for, and making a positive difference to a child’s life.
The assessment aims to ensure that prospective foster carers have the capacity to meet the needs of children and support their well-being. If you have children, it is important that you speak with them about your plan to foster as you will foster as a family.
As part of the assessment process, Assured Fostering will request local authority checks, DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks and employment and personal references. You are also required to have a medical to ensure you are physically and mentally fit to care of children in foster care.
Your fostering assessor will be a qualified social worker experienced in assessing individuals or families who wish to become foster carers. Your assessor will guide and support you through the process, offering guidance and addressing any concerns or queries you may have. Your assessor will also attend fostering panel with you where your assessment is presented, and panel make a recommendation on your approval.
A fostering panel is a group of professionals who assess prospective foster carers from the information in the fostering assessment presented to them. The panel typically consist of professionals from education, mental health, police and social care, foster carers and care experienced adults. Their role is to review your suitability and ability to provide a safe and nurturing environment for children in foster care, and make recommendations regarding your approval as foster carers. The recommendation is shared with the Agency Decision Maker who will make the final decision. We want our prospective carers to be aware of who the panel members are for Assured Fostering so please head over to the Meet the Panel page where you can find their details.