Who can foster?
When it comes to being a foster parent and fostering a child, it’s your personal qualities that count.
Must be over the age of 21
You must be over 21 and have the space & time in your life to be able to foster.
Need to have a spare bedroom
For fostering, a spare bedroom near the parent’s room is required for the child.
No qualifications required
You don’t need specific qualifications or experience in childcare.
No discrimination
Foster regardless of age, gender, sexuality, ethnicity etc.
Considering Foster Care in England? Understand the Criteria and Requirements
There are many myths and misconceptions about who can foster a child and what exactly the foster care criteria are for England. At Family Fostering Partners, we are committed to debunking such myths so that as many people as possible can consider becoming a foster parent. When it comes to fostering and foster care requirements, personal qualities and a passion for child welfare are what truly matter. You can learn more about foster care criteria in England, and who can foster a child via the Government website.
Foster Care Criteria in England: What You Need to Know
To be eligible for fostering, certain basic requirements must be met, these are:
- You must be over the age of 21.
- You need to have a spare bedroom available in your home.
- It’s important to have the capacity and commitment to provide a nurturing environment for a child.
These foster care criteria ensure that every child in foster care receives the attention and space they need and deserve in a stable and loving home.
Who Can Foster a Child?
At Family Fostering Partners we work hard to ensure that individuals from all walks of life can feel confident to put themselves forward to become foster parents. Whether you are single, married, identify as LGBTQ+, or come from any religious or cultural background, you can foster as long as you share a commitment to supporting the well-being of children and young people in care. We work with local authorities all around England, for instance in Gloucestershire, Cheltenham and Redditch, to find, train and support new foster carers.
Foster Care Requirements: The Qualities of a Good Foster Parent
While there are no strict rules regarding your background, certain attributes are highly valued in foster parents:
- A genuine interest in childcare and a desire to make a positive impact.
- Patience and resilience, especially when dealing with challenging behaviours.
- A willingness to learn and grow within your fostering role, supported throughout by training and guidance from us at Family Fostering Partners.
- Strong collaboration skills to work effectively with other people such as educational staff, social workers, and a child’s biological family.
- Emotional stability and the capacity to provide a supportive, understanding, and calm environment.
Getting Started with Fostering
Before applying, it’s also wise to consider:
- Your physical and mental health to ensure you can meet the demands of childcare.
Having a disability or a preexisting medical need (physical or mental) does not prohibit you from being able to foster, however, you do need to be able to meet the demands of looking after a child.
- Your financial stability, to ensure that you’re able to meet a child’s needs and your own using the fostering allowance. Use the ‘chat to us’ feature in the bottom right hand corner to ask us about the fostering allowance.
- Accessibility and logistics, especially if you rely on public transportation to attend meetings, training, and support groups.
Don't Let Fostering Myths Deter You
Many potential foster parents hesitate due to misconceptions surrounding foster care requirements and who can foster a child, we hope that this page has dispelled some of these myths. The children and young people that we help look after are all unique, therefore, it’s vital that our cohort of foster parents are equally diverse and unique.
If fostering sounds like the right fit for you, we encourage you to reach out and start your journey with us today. We can be contacted by filling out the contact form.
Fostering FAQs
When you first decide to foster, it’s likely that you will have many questions or queries. To help those who are interested in fostering, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of common foster care questions and answers. We hope our Fostering FAQ’s will help give a brief introduction into the fostering process and what to expect when you foster.
One of the most common foster care questions that we get asked is are foster carers paid, the short and simple answer is yes. It’s only right that foster parents are compensated for the crucial work that they do, looking after children and young people.
Another commonly asked foster care question that we receive is “How much are foster parents paid”, this question is harder to answer because the exact amount will depend on a number of factors. For example, looking after a child or young person with enhanced needs is likely to result in a higher fostering allowance payment. For detailed information, visit our Foster Carer Pay webpage.
No fostering FAQ would be complete without answering the fundamental question of what is fostering! In essence, fostering is the process of offering a safe and nurturing home to a child who cannot live with their biological family.
Unfortunately, there is a desperate need for more people to become foster parents, at Family Fostering Partners we specialise in offering a range of different forms of foster care. For example, we have foster families who only want to look after children in long-term fostering arrangements, whilst on the other end of the spectrum we have foster carers who specialise in more specific forms of care such as Parent and Child placements and/or emergency fostering. Discover the various types of fostering available.
Many potential foster parents are concerned that having a dog will stop them from being able to foster, however, you can foster if you have a dog. Many of our fostering families have pet dogs and they can be a great companion for a child who’s nervous and new to your family; dogs can be especially beneficial for children who have experienced trauma.
When you apply to foster, we will conduct a detailed pet assessment as part of the broader fostering assessment, this will allow us to conduct a risk assessment as well as to get to know your dog and understand how they are likely to react to new children in the household.
This is another common fostering question that we receive. The short answer is yes, you can foster if you have exotic pets. Owning an exotic pet does not automatically disqualify you from fostering. We would need to undertake a thorough pet assessment to evaluate any risks and ensure the well-being of everyone in the household, and we would need to establish clear rules and guidelines around your pets. For example, where they are kept, where they sleep, who has access to them. Once all of that work is completed, having snakes, birds, lizards, tarantulas, etc will not prohibit you from fostering!
The question of “can I foster and work” is probably on most fostering FAQ’s.
When it comes to our foster parents, most have at least one individual in the household who works as a full-time caregiver. That said, it is possible to combine fostering with another job or role, it depends on factors such as what type of fostering you’re looking to do, and the flexibility of your employment to be able to attend meetings and training sessions.
If you’re eager to learn more about foster care pay you can visit our dedicated page. Additionally, you may want to read about our unique financial transition scheme, “Be There To Care” aims to financial assist those who transition from full time work to full-time fostering.
Yes. The answer to this frequently asked foster care question is simply, yes, we welcome applicants who identify as LGBT+.
Whether you can foster if you have a criminal record, is a common fostering FAQ. Individuals with a criminal record may still be eligible to foster, provided the offence was not against a child or of a sexual nature. We assess each case individually, discussing your past openly is essential so that we can understand the context and learn how you have grown and changed since the incident.
To foster, you must be at least 21 years old. However it’s important to note that there is no upper age limit. As long as you have the time, ability and commitment to care for children, we’d love to hear from you.
This foster care question is an increasingly common one for us, the answer is yes absolutely. We have many single foster carers and welcome new applicants who are single.
When it comes to fostering FAQ’s, foster care questions regarding the matching process are incredibly common. Ensuring that we match children with the right family is crucial, that’s why we spend so much time getting to know you during the assessment process, and we will engage in detailed discussions about potential matches, considering factors like age and specific needs that align with your family dynamics. You will never be forced to accept a match; we only want to move forward with placing a child in a new home when we’re confident that everyone is happy to proceed.
Training is very important. FFP are amazing at giving support. If there are any courses we’d like to do, we just speak to our link worker and they will always organise that for us. The training is first class.
Steve, Foster Parent
