Fostering requirements

What are the foster care requirements?

Many people are interested in becoming foster parents but aren’t always sure what the process entails, or what the foster care requirements are to become a carer. Find out everything you need to know about who can foster, the criteria for fostering and more now.

Foster care requirements

Firstly, you may be asking yourself “can I foster?”. If you’re reading this, you probably already have some of the core traits of someone who can foster; such as being caring and having a desire to help make a difference in the lives of children and young people in need.

Criteria for fostering

• You are over the age of 21
• You are in good health
• You are a full-time resident in the UK (or have leave to remain)
• You have a spare bedroom in your home
• You have enough time to provide support and care (usually on a full-time basis) to a child or young person

Who can foster?

Your gender, race, religion, relationship status or whether you identify as LGBTQ+ has no impact on your ability to provide top quality care to a child or young person – and so none of the above impacts your ability to become a foster carer.

However, when considering if you could foster, there should be other factors to consider before you apply:

• Support network – do you have a wide support network of family and friends around you to rely on?
• Home life – is your environment safe and secure for a young person or child?
• Criminal record – do you have any previous convictions?
• Experience – do you have some experience around children, whether that’s through your family life or volunteering?
• Finances – are you financially secure? Can you afford fostering?

If you’re interested in fostering, and think the above foster carer requirements match your character and circumstances, get in touch with us today to find out more fostering information about if you could foster a child.