Fostering frequently asked questions
- What is fostering?
- Why do children need foster carers?
- How long do children stay with foster carers?
- Do foster children see their family?
- How are children placed in foster care?
- Do I need qualifications to foster?
- What are the age limits for fostering?
- Will I need a health/medical check up?
- Do I need to be married or in a relationship?
- Can I foster if I have children living at home?
- Do I need a spare room?
- Can I foster if I live in a flat?
- I don't drive or have access to a car, can I still foster?
- Can I foster if I work full time?
- Can I foster if I smoke?
- I have a criminal conviction, can I still foster?
- I have recently moved to the UK, am I allowed to foster?
Fostering involves looking after children and young people in your home and providing an experience of family life. Research shows that children can grow and develop in a more positive and social way if they are looked after in a family rather than an institutional or residential setting. Foster carers are expected to treat foster children as part of their family even if they are placed for a very short period of time. Fostering provides the main way of helping and accommodating looked after children in Salford and is vital in turning around the lives of children and their families. Find out more about the different types of fostering in Salford.
Fostering involves looking after children and young people in your home and providing an experience of family life. Research shows that children can grow and develop in a more positive and social way if they are looked after in a family rather than an institutional or residential setting. Foster carers are expected to treat foster children as part of their family even if they are placed for a very short period of time. Fostering provides the main way of helping and accommodating looked after children in Salford and is vital in turning around the lives of children and their families. Find out more about the different types of fostering in Salford.
Why do children need foster carers?
Children and young people live with foster carers when they cannot live with their own families.
There are many reasons why children need to live with foster carers and each child and family's circumstances will be different. Every child living with foster carers will have their own individual care plan reflecting their specific needs.
The local authority has a legal duty to try and help children live with their families. The return of children to live with their parents or a member of the wider family is an important consideration in planning a child's future. Sometimes a family may be in crisis and need time to sort out their problems. Children may be in foster care for a short period of time to give families a break or respite.
When it is not safe for children to return home, they may remain with foster carers on a long term basis. Children may have suffered significant neglect, abuse and lack of consistent care which has an emotional effect upon them and sometimes their behaviour. Foster carers are important in providing emotional warmth, stability and consistent loving care to help children cope with these experiences.
Children and young people live with foster carers when they cannot live with their own families. There are many reasons why children need to live with foster carers and each child and family's circumstances will be different. Every child living with foster carers will have their own individual care plan reflecting their specific needs. The local authority has a legal duty to try and help children live with their families. The return of children to live with their parents or a member of the wider family is an important consideration in planning a child's future. Sometimes a family may be in crisis and need time to sort out their problems. Children may be in foster care for a short period of time to give families a break or respite. When it is not safe for children to return home, they may remain with foster carers on a long term basis. Children may have suffered significant neglect, abuse and lack of consistent care which has an emotional effect upon them and sometimes their behaviour. Foster carers are important in providing emotional warmth, stability and consistent loving care to help children cope with these experiences.
How long do children stay with foster carers?
Children's Services will always try to return children to their own families wherever this is safe to do so. In many cases children return home within a few days to a month or so. When there are more serious or complex problems the courts may be involved and children can be in placement until the court makes a decision. This sometimes can take over 12 months.
Short term fostering can last up to 18 months or two years depending on the courts and the plans made for the child. Short term fostering provides the opportunity to work with social workers and other professionals to return children to their families, prepare for adoption or move on to long term fostering if adoption is not appropriate. Short term fostering can involve the foster carer in supporting contact with birth family members and assess the viability of a return to family.
Long term fostering provides a permanent family for children who cannot return home or be placed for adoption. Long term fostering is looking after a child or young person until they are old enough to look after themselves and live independently. There is less contact with birth families than in short term fostering.
Short break fostering gives support to families under stress and can avoid a total breakdown within the family. Short break care for families with disabled children can be invaluable in helping families cope in the long term by providing planned breaks.
The 3D and Focus fostering schemes have regular respite for carers to provide a break from caring duties.
Some of our foster carers combine different types of fostering and this can be discussed on an individual level during your assessment and with your family placement social worker once you have been approved. Some changes in fostering may require agreement by the Fostering Panel.
Children's Services will always try to return children to their own families wherever this is safe to do so. In many cases children return home within a few days to a month or so. When there are more serious or complex problems the courts may be involved and children can be in placement until the court makes a decision. This sometimes can take over 12 months. can last up to 18 months or two years depending on the courts and the plans made for the child. Short term fostering provides the opportunity to work with social workers and other professionals to return children to their families, prepare for adoption or move on to long term fostering if adoption is not appropriate. Short term fostering can involve the foster carer in supporting contact with birth family members and assess the viability of a return to family. provides a permanent family for children who cannot return home or be placed for adoption. Long term fostering is looking after a child or young person until they are old enough to look after themselves and live independently. There is less contact with birth families than in short term fostering. Short break fostering gives support to families under stress and can avoid a total breakdown within the family. Short break care for families with disabled children can be invaluable in helping families cope in the long term by providing planned breaks. The and schemes have regular respite for carers to provide a break from caring duties. Some of our foster carers combine different types of fostering and this can be discussed on an individual level during your assessment and with your family placement social worker once you have been approved. Some changes in fostering may require agreement by the Fostering Panel.
Do foster children see their family?
Most children placed in foster care need to keep in contact with their family, friends and other people who are important to them. Contact can sometimes be a difficult experience for both the child and their parents and foster carers have a crucial role to play in supporting children before, during and after contact. In long term foster care contact can be important to help a child understand their identity and origins and also maintain contact with brothers and sisters.
Contact can take place in a different locations and be supervised or unsupervised depending upon the individual circumstances of the child and their family. Every child will have a contact plan as part of their overall care plan. In short term foster placements, particularly for babies and young children, contact with family could occur frequently throughout the week and involve transporting the child to the contact venue.
How are children placed in foster care?
Most children placed in foster care need to keep in contact with their family, friends and other people who are important to them. Contact can sometimes be a difficult experience for both the child and their parents and foster carers have a crucial role to play in supporting children before, during and after contact. In long term foster care contact can be important to help a child understand their identity and origins and also maintain contact with brothers and sisters. Contact can take place in a different locations and be supervised or unsupervised depending upon the individual circumstances of the child and their family. Every child will have a contact plan as part of their overall care plan. In short term foster placements, particularly for babies and young children, contact with family could occur frequently throughout the week and involve transporting the child to the contact venue.
Wherever possible we try to plan ahead to place children in foster care and ideally, the child, foster carer, social worker and parents would meet before the placement is made.
Short term placements sometimes have to be made urgently and a meeting is not always possible before placement. A placement planning meeting should take place a few days after the placement and involves the social worker, family placement worker and parents, where appropriate and possible. This meeting is held to be clear about the purpose of the placement and help plan for the child.
Long term placements are all planned and visits to foster carers are made prior to placement to see if the placement is appropriate or matched correctly. All placements in 3D and Focus fostering are made on a planned basis.
Do I need qualifications to foster?
There are no qualifications required to apply to be a foster carer. We provide training during and after your approval and will continue to help you with additional training and support once children are placed with you. All applicants are considered fairly in terms of their experience of caring for children and also the motivation and commitment to vulnerable children.
There are no qualifications required to apply to be a foster carer. We provide training during and after your approval and will continue to help you with additional training and support once children are placed with you. All applicants are considered fairly in terms of their experience of caring for children and also the motivation and commitment to vulnerable children.
What are the age limits for fostering?
We welcome applications from all members of the community aged over 21 years. There are no upper age limits but all applicants should be in good health and have the energy, time and enthusiasm to look after children.
Age and experience are a factor in considering the age group of children and the type of fostering that would suit your skills and circumstances best. People over 60 years of age for instance, are unlikely to be considered as long term foster carers for young children, but may well be approved to undertake short term fostering, where their skills and experience could be best used.
Will I need a health/medical check up?
We welcome applications from all members of the community aged over 21 years. There are no upper age limits but all applicants should be in good health and have the energy, time and enthusiasm to look after children. Age and experience are a factor in considering the age group of children and the type of fostering that would suit your skills and circumstances best. People over 60 years of age for instance, are unlikely to be considered as long term foster carers for young children, but may well be approved to undertake short term fostering, where their skills and experience could be best used.
A medical check up is a legal requirement for all applicants. Many medical conditions such as diabetes and asthma would not stop you from becoming a foster carer, the important thing is that you enjoy good health and are able to cope with the physical and emotional demands that fostering may present.
Do I need to be married or in a relationship?
We welcome applications from people who are single, living together, married, divorced or separated, straight or gay. If you are in a relationship, you will need to have been together for at least three years and you will need to demonstrate you are in a long term relationship providing stability for any child placed.
Whether you are single or in a relationship, stability is vitally important for foster children and it is important that you have thought about your long term plans. It is important that all applicants have a good social and/or family support network to help with the fostering role. If you are assessed as a single carer and you enter into a serious relationship after your approval we will need to assess your new partner as well.
Can I foster if I have children living at home?
The short answer is yes, as long as you have a spare room for a fostered child. Clearly, you will need to consider the impact of fostering on your own children and we would expect that they have been involved in helping make the decision to foster. The age of your children living at home is important in deciding the ages of fostered children placed with you. We always try to place children with a two year age difference to your own children; experience has taught us that there is then less competition for attention and affection. These issues will be discussed during your assessment to help prepare for future placements. We also run a support group for foster carers' birth children so they can meet other children who share their homes and family with fostered children.
If you have a child less than four years of age, we would encourage you to wait until your child is older. The demands of fostering may make it difficult to meet your own child's needs and can create a conflict in meeting competing demands.
Our salaried fostering schemes have different requirements and for 3D placements there should be no other children living in the home. Focus placements require that any children already living in the home are over 12 years of age.
You will need a spare room to be able to foster a child. Fostered children cannot share a bedroom with your children. Babies under one year can be placed in a cot in the carer's bedroom but we look to recruit foster carers with a spare room to help plan for the future.
Can I foster if I live in a flat?
You can foster if you live in a flat but there would need to be enough room for a child to play and do homework and also a spare bedroom. There would also need to be access to safe outdoor space. There may also be safety issues for a young child if you live above the third floor in a block of flats.
I don't drive or have access to a car, can I still foster?
You can still foster but you would need to think about how you would safely transport children to school or contact visits across Salford. You will also be expected to attend training events and meetings about the child at different locations across the city. If you do not have a car or don't drive it may well prevent a number of children being placed with you.
Can I foster if I work full time?
Your working hours need to be flexible to make sure children placed with you can be looked after, taken to school, cared for during school holidays and transported to family contact sessions. There is no prescription regarding hours worked but these may need to be adapted to meet the needs of the child. If you are interested in fostering pre-school children, one carer would need to be available at all times. To help with consistent care for fostered children, attendance at after school clubs or play schemes are not considered appropriate.
There are also a number of training sessions and planning and review meetings you would be expected to attend as part of your role as a foster carer. This will need careful planning if you intended to continue to work. If you have a partner, meeting these commitments may take some planning and changing of working patterns.
If you or any other person living in your home uses tobacco then you will not be able to foster children less than five years of age. If you smoke and have children placed with you over five years of age, then you must smoke outside the house. You are considered a non-smoker if you have quit for six months. If you want to stop smoking, we can help with smoking cessation services.
I have a criminal conviction, can I still foster?
Having a criminal conviction does not necessarily prevent you from fostering and every application is considered individually and on its own merits. If you have any offences against children or a serious offence then you will not be considered for assessment as a foster carer.
All applicants are subject to an Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check, along with any members of your household aged 16 or over. No convictions or cautions can be considered as ‘spent' and you should inform us immediately if you have any convictions or cautions, no matter how long ago they were committed.
I have recently moved to the UK, am I allowed to foster?
If you have just moved to the UK we will need evidence you can live and work indefinitely in the UK. You will also need to demonstrate that your language skills are sufficient to communicate clearly with children and professionals involved with caring for children. You will also need a support network with friends or family to encourage and support you in a fostering role.
This page was last updated on 28 February 2012
