How to become a foster carer

Step one: initial enquiry

When you contact us, through the online enquiry form or by phone, the social worker will record your basic details and ask you some questions about yourself and the people living with you, your accommodation and your current working arrangements. You will be asked about your experience of caring for children and your reasons for applying to foster. We then make an initial assessment about whether we can pursue your application any further. You will also be given the opportunity to discuss any queries you may have about fostering for Southwark.

Step two: initial visit

A social worker will visit you in your home to see your accommodation, including the bedrooms, and to meet everyone in your household. You will be asked some questions about your background, skills and abilities, and about how you would deal with children who have been neglected and abused and who present challenging behaviour. The social worker will also tell you about the assessment process. A decision is then made about whether fostering is 'right for you'.

Step three: reference checks

You complete an application form, giving two personal referees and one family member referee, who we interview in person. We will perform checks with:

• Your GP (you will need a medical to ensure you are fit and healthy)
• The police
• Your local Social Services department
• Ofsted
• The Probation and Youth Offending Service
• Your previous employers

The purpose of these checks is to make sure that we do not place children with people who may be a danger to them. These checks are government requirements. Minor criminal offences or problems in your past would not rule you out from being a foster carer, but more serious ones probably would.

Step four: assessment

A fostering social worker makes several visits to you and your family over a period of four to five months. You are encouraged to tell us openly and honestly about yourself, your experiences, and your skills. This is also an opportunity for you to learn more about the fostering task, such as caring for a child who has been sexually abused, managing children's challenging behaviour, working with birth parents and child care law. 

All prospective foster carers and regular adult visitors to the household will be required to have criminal record checks undertaken.

Step five: training

During the assessment you and your partner will be expected to attend a five day preparation training course. The course covers all aspects of the fostering task, such as working with the child's family, child development, safe caring, managing challenging behaviour, promoting the health and education of foster children and preparing young people for leaving care.

Step six: a panel of experts makes the decision

The social worker assessing you will write a detailed report, which you must agree is accurate before it is presented to Southwark's fostering panel. The panel has ten members who have been appointed by the fostering service and they are experts in the field of fostering, childcare, health and education. A number of panel members are also independent and are not employed by Southwark Council.

You will be invited to attend the panel meeting with the social worker who assessed you, and at this meeting the panel look at your future approval as foster carers for Southwark. The fostering panel then makes a recommendation to the agency decision maker, who will make the final decision about whether to approve you as a foster carer, and about how many children you should foster and what age they should be. Your approval will then be reviewed every year.

See also:

• Common questions on foster care
• Download brochure: How to become a foster carer