Could I foster?
Are you over the age of 21?
Ideally you need to be aged 21 years or over when you apply. You must be sufficiently emotionally mature and financially stable to provide the support children will need. You need to be sufficiently fit and healthy to meet the child's needs for activity and exercise as well as - in the case of long term fostering - seeing the children into adulthood.
Do you have a spare room?
Your home may be rented or privately owned, but if you rent you will need to seek your landlord's written permission. You will need to have a bedroom available for a foster child that cannot be shared with anyone else. This room should have sufficient space for a bed (or cot) and a storage unit for the child's belongings. A baby up to a maximum of 18 months old may share an adult carer's bedroom but there must be adequate space around the cot. Your home (and garden if you have one) needs to meet Health and Safety regulations and the National Minimum Fostering standards in terms of hygiene and play and homework space.
Would you be willing to Foster Children over the age of 10?
The majority of children placed with Five Rivers are over the age of 10; these children have suffered traumatic experiences in their lives and sometimes find it difficult to live in a family. At Five Rivers we work with children from all age ranges including specialist Mother and Baby placements and children with disabilities. We currently are seeking families who are able to work with adolescents of either gender.
Applicants need to be able to demonstrate If you are the sole earner and give up paid employment in order to foster, you'll need to satisfy us that you can manage on State Benefits or support yourself at those times when a Fostering Allowance may not be payable.
Are you able to speak, read and write English to a competent level?
Foster carers will need to be able to speak read and write English to a competent level and be able to communicate in this language with Looked-after Children and other related professionals. Bilingual applicants are very welcome
Are you available over the next 4-6 months to undertake an in-depth Assessment to become a Foster Carer?
As part of our Assessment, would you be happy to undertake a medical if required?
The fostering assessment normally takes around 4-6 months, you will be working closely with one of our qualified social worker who will get to know you well! Once we have completed our assessment we will present our findings to our independent panel of experts who will process your assessment with a view to approval of becoming a Professional Five Rivers Foster Carer.
Foster carers come from all walks of life and need high energy levels to undertake the fostering task. When you contact us it is important that any health concerns are discussed in order to consider your suitability.
Foster carers like everyone else, can have health issues. We openly discuss these matters with you and health checks are undertaken on all applicants. If you have any questions regarding your suitability please contact us for a discussion. In most cases on-going health matters do not preclude you from becoming a foster carer.
Are you able to provide 3 personal references as part of your assessment?
The Form F assessment is open, honest and will help us focus upon the skills and knowledge that you have in or to care for children. We will need to speak with referee's who have known you for a good period of time as part of the assessment process.
As part of our Assessment are you happy for us to undertake a Criminal Records (CRB) check?
All household members aged 16 years and over will be asked to apply for a Criminal Records (CRB) check. If you have lived outside the UK for a continuous period of three months as an adult, you will also need to apply for a Certificate of Good Conduct from that Country for which the cost has to be met by the applicant. All past offences and cautions as well as motoring offences (including speeding) offences must be declared and no offences are spent when considering your suitability to foster.
If you have been convicted or cautioned for any offence, we may not consider you suitable until a period of time has passed according to the severity of the offence. Some offence will automatically bar you from working with children.
If any relatives or friends regularly visit your house and are likely to have unsupervised contact with any foster child they will also be required to undertake a CRB check.
We will also carry out checks with our Children's and Adult's Services, to see if you have had any contact. If you live in another local authority area or have worked for another fostering agency in the past, we will need to contact them too.
These are the basic eligibility requirements for us to start considering your application as a foster carer. If we decided to proceed with your application then it is our expectation that you will undertake a full assessment.
