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Can I foster if I work full-time?

Yes! However, you will need to consider how flexible your employer would be to ensure you’re available when you need to be, such as for:

• caring for school-age children if they are ill and during the school holidays
• participating in meetings with social workers
• attending training and support groups

Training and meetings typically happen during normal working hours.

Buddy fostering might be more compatible with full-time working hours as this involves caring for a child at set weekends or during the school holidays. Find out more about Buddy Fostering.

Can I foster if I rent my house?

You can foster whether you are renting or own your own home. If you are living in a rental property you need to provide permission from the property owner that they agree for you to foster in their property. 

During the assessment, a member of the team will visit you to check that your home is suitable and safe. 

Can I foster if I have children of my own?

Of course, we actively encourage people with parenting experience. Your children will be included in the assessment process, as it is the whole family who fosters. There are many benefits from living in a fostering household too, so your own children may get a lot out of the experience. We consider your permanent children in the matching process so that a child that comes into your care will be well suited to the whole family.

We advise to foster younger than your youngest child as it allows you to draw on the parenting experience you already have. However, you will always be involved in the matching process and you will have the final decision of who you welcome into your household. 

Can I foster if I don’t have a spare bedroom?

Children in foster care must have their own room so creating space for that is important. Children in foster care cannot share with any other children in your home (unless they are siblings). You will need to have a bedroom available when the child is ready to move in.

The one exception to this is if the child you are fostering is a baby under the age of two. In this situation, the baby can sleep in the foster carer’s bedroom until they reach two years old. 

Can I foster if I’m single or LGBTQ+?

Yes – we have lots of brilliant foster carers who are single, or who live alone. You can foster regardless of your marital status or your sexuality. 

Is there an age limit to foster?

The youngest age you can foster is 21. This is a statutory requirement within the Fostering Regulations. There is no upper age limit – but you are required to complete a medical and receive a declaration of ‘fit to foster’ to be considered suitable. 

Can I foster with a criminal conviction?

People with minor convictions can foster, but this depends on the seriousness of the offence, how long ago the crime was committed and how you can lived your life since. 

People with convictions for violent or sexual offences against children will not be considered as foster carers.

Any person over 18 registered as living at a foster carers address is required to complete a DBS check as per statutory fostering regulations. 

Can I foster with pets?

Yes – and pets can be a great way to provide children with comfort and companionship and help children settle into your home. Your pets must pass a risk assessment to ensure they are safe, friendly and not aggressive around children. 

We will always take pets into consideration when matching our children to foster carers, to ensure children are welcomed into homes where they feel happy and safe. 

Can I foster if I smoke?

Our policy currently states that children will not be matched with a foster carer who smokes or vapes if they are:

• under 5 years old
• have a disability
• have heart disease
• have glue ear
• have a respiratory problem such as asthma

Guidelines state that an individual cannot be classed as a non-smoker until they have given up for a minimum of 12 months. 

Children older than 5 can be placed in smoking or vaping households, but foster carers are required to smoke outside only. 

Read more in our: Smoking and Vaping Policy (PDF)

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