Becoming a foster parent in England

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Applying to become a foster parent

The process starts when you apply to become a foster parent and finishes with a decision from the fostering service. The process can take up to 8 months to complete.

Steps 2 to 6 might happen in a different order.

  1. You apply to become a foster parent through your local council or an independent fostering agency. You can only register with one fostering service.

  2. The council or agency asks you to go to a preparation course on fostering.

  3. You and every adult that lives with you will need to pass an enhanced with barred lists Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

  4. A social worker assesses you and your family to check that you’re able to care for a child.

  5. You state any preferences about the children you’ll care for, like age or gender. You cannot choose a child out of a group of children and you do not get a trial period with a foster child.

  6. The fostering service reviews your application. You’ll need to meet with their panel who will make a recommendation.

  7. The fostering service makes a decision on your application.

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