Whether you are you single, married or apart of the LGBTQ+ community, as long as you offer a stable home and care for a child, you can apply to become a foster carer!
Am I too old to foster?
No, there is no upper age limit to fostering.
I have dogs, can I foster?
Yes! We invite all people with pets to consider fostering
Am I qualified enough?
You don't need any qualifications or fostering experience. We only ask that you:
- provide a safe, caring home and have the time, patience and commitment to give to a child.
- understand the needs of a child who has been separated from their family.
- work as part of a team.
- ask for support and use it.
- be prepared to learn.
I don’t have children, can I still foster?
Yes you can still foster even if you have not had children of your own. We provide all the relevant training to support you.
I’m religious, will this prevent me from fostering?
It does not matter what your religion is and this should not affect your application to foster. Children should be placed with foster families that can meet their needs, including religious needs. However, you would need to consider how you would feel about discussing issues such as alternative religious beliefs or sexuality with a child, ensuring that you abide by the fostering service's policies.
I have a medical issue, will this be a barrier?
No, you can still become a foster carer even if you have a disability, mental health condition or any other illness. All potential foster carers have a full medical examination to make sure that they can provide the care our children need.
I work full time, does this mean I won’t be able to foster?
It does not matter if you are employed or unemployed, we need to know that you're financially stable and can provide a home. If you work, we will support you to determine which type of fostering best suits your family and support you to see if your work commitments are flexible so that you could meet the needs of the child.
I currently claim benefits, can I foster?
Yes, if you currently claim welfare benefits you are likely to be able to continue to claim while fostering. Foster Carers are approved rather than employed by their fostering service and this status has a particular effect on means-tested benefits. In the main, fostering payments when a child is placed with a foster carer are disregarded when calculating welfare benefits. Alternatively, foster carers may be able to claim Working Tax Credit because fostering is regarded as 'work' by the HMRC when they have a child in placement.
I am in a rental, can I still foster a child?
Yes, it doesn’t matter whether you own or rent your house, you can still apply to foster
Can I foster if I don’t drive?
Yes, it would not prevent you from being a foster carer if you were unable to drive.
I’m a smoker, can I still foster?
You can smoke and foster but to safeguard a child's health, we won't place a child under the age of 5 within a household where somebody smokes. If you decide to give up smoking you must have given up for a period of at least 12 months prior to applying to become a foster carer for a baby. If you smoke e-cigarettes Stoke on Trent Fostering do not see this as a reason to preclude you as a potential foster carer, purely on this basis. Your use of e-cigarettes will be assessed in the initial visit, as well as during the full prospective fostering assessment.
Will you need to speak with my birth children about fostering during the assessment?
Yes, as part of the fostering assessment the social worker will need to meet your children and talk with them about fostering. For fostering to work within a household everyone has to be on board. Once you are approved, we have a group called Kidz of Carerz which is open to foster carers' own children aged 7 to 17. This is a group to support your birth children and to meet with other families who foster, several workshops run throughout the year.
Can I be a single foster carer?
Yes, we welcome applications whether you are single or in any type of relationship.
I am not married to my partner, can I foster?
Yes, as long as you can offer a stable home to a child or young person, you can foster. You do not need to be married to foster.
Can the fostered child share a bedroom with my own children?
No, all fostered children must have their own bedroom. Siblings can share where it is deemed safe, under 2’s can sleep in the foster carer's bedroom.
Can we take foster children on holiday?
Yes, this will be discussed as part of the placement agreement plan when a child comes to stay with you. The child’s social worker must be informed before arrangements are made if the foster carer intends to go on holiday as they need to know where the child is. The foster carer would also speak to their own supervising social worker before arrangements are made.
