Journey to Foster
Becoming a foster carer is big commitment for both you and your family. We will work with you every step of the way to make sure the relationships you build with the children and young people that come into your care will be positive and long-lasting ones. This journey normally takes between 4 – 6 months.
Step 1: Enquire
The first step is to get in touch! It’ll just be a friendly chat with a member of our team to answer any questions you have and for us to find out a bit more about you and your current situation. You can give us a call on
01325 485143 or get in touch via our social media.
Step 2: Home Visit
A member of the team will visit your home to give you more information and have a look around your home. They will chat with you about what fostering means to you, and hopefully by the end of the visit, you should have a good idea if you think fostering is your next step.
Step 3: Application
Short break care provides vital, temporary breaks to foster parents or birth families. Short break carers step in to provide a welcoming home for a few days or a week, usually during weekends or school holidays, giving primary caregivers an opportunity to recharge.
Step 4: Assessment
Once your application has been accepted, one of our social workers will be in touch to start your fostering assessment. They’ll visit you a few times to collect more information about you, your family, and any skills or experience you have to help you foster. This information will be put together in a report called a Form F.
Step 5: Panel
After your assessment has been completed, this will be presented to our fostering panel. The panel will make a recommendation to our Agency Decision Maker, who will make the final decision about whether or not you can be approved as a foster carer.
Step 6: Approval
Once you have been approved, your fostering journey with us will begin. We’ll match you to a child that will suit your experience and preferences, and we’ll be there to support you every step of the way!
Ready for your journey to begin?