How intrusive is the assessment process in fostering?
To ensure you're a great fit for fostering, we’ll explore your family history and personal journey. Read on to learn what’s involved in the assessment process.
If you’re thinking of fostering for the first time, you’re sure to have lots of questions about the foster care assessment process. When we’re searching for new foster parents, we’re looking for people who can offer children the best quality of care possible. The fostering assessment process is thorough and detailed, but it’s designed to ensure that children are placed in safe, supportive, and loving homes
To ensure you’re a great fit to become a foster parent, we’ll spend time getting to know about your family history and your personal life, from your childhood until present day. Read on to learn about what we’ll need from you during the fostering assessment process.
Getting to know you
During your 4-6 month fostering assessment, you’ll be paired with an assessing social worker from our Fosterplus team. They will work closely with you during your foster care assessment and approval process, and will visit you at home between 8-10 times to get to know you and your family. This will involve observing the ways in which you interact at home and having deep conversations about what motivates you to foster. The process is not designed to catch you out but, simply, to see if fostering is right for you.
In order to get at the heart of what will make you a great foster carer, we’ll ask you questions about every aspect of your life.
These questions will cover a wide range of topics, including:
- Why you want to foster
- Your childhood experiences
- Your personal views
- Your relationships with family, partners and friends
- Any big life events you’ve experienced
- Your physical and mental health
- Practicalities such as finances and support network
- Any adverse experiences you may have faced
- Your previous experience in caring for others
Openness and honesty
There are no right or wrong answers to the questions you’ll be asked. What’s important is that you are honest and open in your answers. While it can be hard to talk to someone you don’t know too well about personal topics, this part of the assessment process is vital to ensure that we match children with families who are a great fit to foster, and that you fully understand what it takes to be a foster parent.
Though daunting at first, many fostering applicants find that this part of the process can be cathartic and enjoyable overall. You may well discover new things about yourself, and will undoubtedly uncover some surprising personal qualities which will help you to become a fantastic foster parent. You’ll also be presented with a document which details your family history, helping you to preserve your story.
Our team will do all they can to make this part of the process stress-free and comfortable, and getting to know you on this deep level allows us to tailor our support to your individual needs. Learn more about the fantastic range of support which we offer to our foster parents here at Fosterplus.
Background checks
As part of your assessment process, we will conduct a range of background checks to help us ensure that you are suitable to foster a vulnerable child. These will include:
- An enhanced DBS/PVG check for each person in your home over the age of 18 in England and 16 in Scotland (this will include any adult children).
- We’ll gather a range of both personal and professional references during the fostering application process.
- A financial assessment, which will cover your outgoings, income, and any debt you may have.
- Checks with your Local Authority, covering your housing situation and any involvement you’ve had with children’s services or the care of vulnerable adults.
- A medical assessment from your GP, ensuring that you are in a good place both physically and mentally to care for a child.
It’s important to know that certain things, such as having a criminal record for violent or sexual offences or owning a dog whose breed is banned under the UK Dangerous Dogs act, will automatically disqualify a person from fostering.
Will my ex-partners be contacted if I foster?
One crucial part of the fostering assessment process, and the part which many applicants struggle the most with, is our need to obtain references from your previous partners. This does not apply to all of your previous relationships. We will only be interested in contacting partners who:
you have lived with for more than 2 years
who you share a child with
We understand that this part of the process can be very intrusive and can cause upset. We also understand that not all relationships end on good terms, and some ex-partners may try to portray you in a negative light. We will take this on board when conducting our fostering assessment and will take a nuanced approach.
You will not need to be in direct contact with your ex-partner, as our team will handle contacting them. We will also always put your safety first. If it is inappropriate for us to reach out to an ex-partner, such as if they were abusive, we will instead accept multiple character references.
Health and safety checks
As well as background checks, we conduct a range of health and safety checks during your fostering assessment process. These include:
- A health and safety assessment of your home addressing any hazards, such as ensuring that medicines and cleaning products are safely stored out of the reach of children and that garden ponds are inaccessible.
- An assessment on any pets in your household to ensure that they will be safe around children.
If any health and safety concerns are identified, your assessing social worker will work alongside you to help you to resolve them as quickly as possible so that you can move onto your next steps.
Your next steps
After being approved to foster, our team will work to match a child with you who is right for your family, matching your skills, experience and preferences. Learn more about matching in foster care.
Each step in the fostering assessment process is vital in your journey to bringing home your first foster child and our team will support you every step of the way. Children in care have often experienced trauma, loss, or neglect. The assessment isn’t about finding perfect people - it’s about finding people who are resilient, kind, and committed to providing a stable, loving home. If you’re interested in getting started with fostering, we’d love to hear from you and give you more information.
Fill out our online form to enquire with our team today, or download our guide to the fostering assessment.
