Can I foster if I am single?
Yes! Many of our carers are not in relationships and are approved as single carers. Married or single, living together or not, as long as you have something to offer a young person, we want to hear from you!
We want you to know that there is no ‘ideal type’ of foster carer(s). Each individual will have their own experience and skill base that can be used to support young people. We want our service to be individual and celebrate diversity; our children come from a wide range of backgrounds so we think our carers should too.
Yes! Many of our carers are not in relationships and are approved as single carers. Married or single, living together or not, as long as you have something to offer a young person, we want to hear from you!
Fostering is a demanding role and requires commitment in terms of time as well as energy. If in a couple, we ask that one person is available full time for the fostering role and if you are a single applicant we ask that fostering is your only job; there may be circumstances where there is an exception to this and it is advisable to give us a call to discuss this further.
During the assessment process, your assessor will discuss your preference in terms of numbers of children, age, gender and needs. Throughout the assessment, you will come to an agreement with your assessor about your recommended approval. When a young person is identified as in need of a foster placement, we will provide you with as much detail as possible so you and your family can make the final decision. We will never force you to accept a placement. We try and encourage our carers to focus on whether they can meet the needs of the individual child, rather that become focussed on a specific age or gender.
If you smoke we would be unable to place any children under the age of five in your home. If you have older children in placement we ask that all smoking is done outside; this includes e-cigarettes.
We are an inclusive agency that celebrates diversity. Our children come from wide and varied backgrounds so we need carers who do too! We would not exclude your application on the grounds of religious beliefs, all we ask is that you are able to accommodate the religious needs of anyone placed with you.
It is dependent on the type of offence you have been convicted of some offences will automatically exclude you from becoming a carer however some, such as driving convictions, may not. We complete a DBS with all applicants and ask you disclose any convictions that you have prior to this. If you wish to discuss this further, give one of the team a call.
Yes. We believe animals can be very therapeutic to children and as an agency we appreciate their benefits. We carry out risk assessments on pets to ensure they are safe to be around children and address arrangements for animals in the health and safety element of your assessment.
We invite applications from anyone who believes they have something to offer local children and young people; straight or gay, married or single, we are interested in your skills and ability to offer excellent care. Many of our carers are gay or in same sex relationships and it has no impact on their eligibility or opportunities in terms of their fostering career. As previously mentioned we are a diverse agency and encourage people from all backgrounds to contact us if they believe they have something to offer young people
Yes, as foster carers you have the right to transfer to different agencies, just as you would be able to with a job. The process for transferring is very simple – why not give us a call to discuss this further?
As part of your assessment, the financial stability of your family will be looked at. This is to ensure that any children who are placed with you have a secure home. Having debt or a bankruptcy on your credit file will not automatically exclude you, as long as you are able to demonstrate that becoming a carer is a financially viable option for you and your family. You will only be paid when you have children in placement so it is important you are able to support yourself if you did not have a placement for a period of time.
This is something that will be discussed with you throughout your assessment and any pre-approval training you attend. It is important to understand that fostering is a whole-family task and that all members of the household must be in agreement with your decision to foster. The assessor will be looking to ensure that your family has the capacity to foster and will look at any dependents you may be responsible for, whether that is children or elderly or sick relatives.
Here’s the answers to some of the most popular questions we are asked. If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, please use the form below to ask your own question and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Fostering Ltd is an Independent Fostering Agency based in Fulwood, Preston.
