Previous experience
for fostering
Do you need experience to foster a child?
You don’t need any specific qualifications or previous experience with children to become a foster parent - although naturally, it will help you ease into the role if you do.
What matters to us is your character and personality – your ability to stay calm under pressure, to listen and understand, and to be patient and connect with children and young people. If your working experience has helped you develop these skills, great. But equally, they might just be a natural part of who you are.
It's also important to understand that while experience with children is useful (as a parent or in a professional or voluntary capacity), it’s not the be-all and end-all, so don’t let this stop you from getting in touch. It’s who you are that matters, not what you’ve done.
And as we spend time getting to know you during your fostering assessment, we'll get a pretty good idea about your strengths and any areas for development, so we can put in place the training and support you need to become an outstanding foster parent.
Do you need qualifications to foster?
We have foster parents with degrees and diplomas, as well as people who left school without any qualifications. All are doing a great job, making a difference to the lives of children and young people. That’s all that matters to us, and all our training and support will help you get there too.
What training is provided to foster parents?
We offer a wide range of training to our foster parents for every stage of their career, including our preparatory training course that all fostering applicants attend, a variety of core training courses which you'll complete in your first year, and specialist advance courses too.
What support is offered to foster parents?
We build close connections with our foster parents and the young people we care for and are able to provide them with the support and services they need. This includes a dedicated social worker, regular support groups, access to Fosterplus management, a 24/7 helpline with a qualified social worker and more.
Do foster parents receive an allowance?
Yes, foster parents receive an allowance for the time a child spends in their care. This is split into two parts:
- Child's allowance - to cover the cost of a child in your care, including food, clothing and activities.
- Professional fee - to recognise and reward the professional work and ongoing development of the foster parent.
Find out how much you could receive using our finance calculator
How do you become a foster parent?
The first step is to have a chat with one of our friendly advisors - either complete our online form or give us a call on 0800 369 8512. We'll speak to you about the role, take a few details and answer any of your questions.
When you're ready to progress, there's a standard application and assessment process that you'll need to go through to become an approved foster parent, including home visits, background checks and references, training and attending a fostering panel. You can find out more about each step below.
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Can't find what you're looking for?
By phone
One of our team is available to talk to you over the phone to answer any of your fostering queries.
Enquire online
You can get in touch by filling out our online enquiry form with any queries that you may have.
Your local team
Find contact details for your local office team. We’re always happy for you to pop-in and chat.