So, who can become a foster carer? What are the requirements, age limits and qualifications? Fostering is open to people from many different backgrounds. If you are over 21, have a spare bedroom and can provide a safe, supportive home, you could be eligible to foster.
Requirements of fostering:
- Have to be 21, no upper age limit as long as you meet the requirements and are fit and healthy
- A spare bedroom is required to ensure each child has their own space
- There is no prior training or experience needed to be a foster carer, training will be provided
- Need to have the right to work in the UK
- You will need to keep records and write reports about the foster child
- Help the child manage their behaviour and feelings
- You will be asked to carry out a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check which will highlight any criminal convictions that would make you unable to foster.
- There is no upper age limit, in fact ⅓ of foster carers are over 60
- Your health status, experiences and transferable skills will form part of your assessment.
- Relationship statues does not matter as long as you can support a child or children
- If you are in a relationship, your social worker will look at its stability as part of your assessment.
- You can foster whether you have previous parenting experience or none
- Being childless or having children of your own does not impact your ability to foster.
- Children aged 18 or over and still living at home will be included in your assessment checks.
- If you have children living elsewhere who are under 18, they may also be part of your assessment.
- We will consider young children throughout the process and involve them an age-appropriate way.
- As long as you have a stable and safe home for children to live with, it doesn’t matter if you own or rent your home.