how to become a foster carer – the process explained
If you’re interested in becoming a foster carer, you will be interested to know the process, what happens at each stage, and how long it actually takes.
Below are answers to various questions that people ask around the process of becoming a foster carer.
how long does the process take?
The assessment period should take no longer than six months from application to approval stage.
Sometimes this can take longer but this is often down to the applicant’s availability or references taking longer to get hold of. Whatever the reason for the delay, we will keep you regularly informed.
Caring for children and young people is an important commitment, so we need to get to know each other well and be sure it’s right for everyone in your home. Your assessing social worker is your support and will be with you every step of the way.
There are several stages to becoming approved as a foster carer.
Step 1: Get in touch with us – email, phone or via our website
Step 2: A member of team will discuss your interest with you and answer any questions you might have. If you want to proceed, we will complete a registration of interest form with you. This just involves getting basic information and doesn’t take long to complete.
Step 3: The next stage is an initial home visit.
If you are keen to proceed to this next stage and we are satisfied that you meet all the initial eligibility criteria, we will arrange for a member of the team to visit you and your family at your home. This stage is all about us getting to know you better.
A member of the fostering team will visit you and your family in your home. They will ask various questions and you can ask us questions too. They will ask you to show them around the house and have a look at the bedroom/s that you have available for fostering
Step 4: The member of staff who visited you will share their assessment of your home visit, with a manager who then decides whether you can progress onto our pre-approval training.
This is called ‘Skills to Foster’ and is a three-day training course.
Step 5: Once you have completed the ‘Skills to Foster’ training, you are allocated an assessing social worker who will start compiling your Form F assessment (this involves several sessions with you and your family, background checks, a medical with a GP, and references).
what is a form f?
In simple terms, this is the assessment completed by your assessing social worker to determine your suitability for fostering. The Form F document is a generic assessment tool which all fostering services have to adhere to. This is where your assessing social worker will work with you to put together all the information needed for your assessment and approval. It summarises your suitability and details your skills and experiences.
Your assessing social worker will arrange to visit you and your family on a regular basis throughout your assessment period. You’ll get to know each other well and they will complete your assessment report with you. Together, you’ll work out what types of fostering best fits your lifestyle and family, and the children and young people you will be best matched with.
what background checks and references do I need to become a foster parent?
When you apply to become a foster carer, your whole family/household will be assessed. You foster together, as a family. Before we do any background checks on you and your family, we’ll need to get your permission first.
The checks we do are:
- criminal checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
- medical checks with your GP
- background checks with local authorities
- employer references – current employer and any / all employment paid or voluntary working with children, young people, or vulnerable adults
- personal references x 4
- family member references x 2
- Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) checks and equivalent if the applicants have lived in other parts of the UK
- Health and safety check of the applicant’s home
Step 6: Once your assessing social worker has collected all the information they need for your assessment, your Form F and background checks are passed to a fostering panel. The panel is made up of fostering, educational and care professionals. You will be invited to attend the meeting where your assessing social worker will be at your side to offer support throughout.
Members of the panel will ask you some questions based on in the information provided in the assessment. The answers you provide will help the panel to make a decision on whether to approve you as a foster carer. Don’t worry, fostering panel is not as daunting as it sounds.
The Panel will make a recommendation on whether to approve you or not. The final decision is made by the Agency Decision Maker, usually the Head of Service for Child & Family Services. This usually takes 1-2 weeks from panel.
Step 7: Become a foster carer and get matched to a child/ren.
Click here if you are already a foster carer for another agency and want to transfer to Foster Wales Swansea.
You have every right to transfer to us from another fostering agency, or even if you are registered with a local authority. We will help to make the transition as easy as possible. The process will differ slightly depending on whether you currently have foster children living with you.
get in touch
If you can open your door to a local child or young person and offer them a safe and loving home, then please get in touch for more information or to make an enquiry.
