Prospective applicants are welcome to contact us to talk informally to find out more about fostering and discuss their options. We will always guide you to make an informed decision about what is right for you and your family. Applicants will then need to email an expression of interest to request an application form, which will then be sent to them and they will need to complete and return. Transferring applicants are welcome to provide their previous fostering assessment instead of completing an application form. All applicants will need to return signed consent for statutory checks to be undertaken with the Local Authority, CIW and for a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.
We aim to respond to applications within two working days to arrange a telephone discussion about your motivation to foster and to arrange an initial visit. The initial visit forms part of our preliminary screening process and helps us consider whether to progress to a full fostering application. Following a successful initial visit, we will initiate statutory checks, and applicants will need to arrange a medical assessment with their GP. Once we have received satisfactory checks, applicants will be required to complete Prepare to Foster training, after which we will begin the full assessment process.
The assessing social worker will then make contact with applicants, and we aim to complete the full Fostering assessment and present it to panel within three months. During the assessment, applicants will be asked to reflect on their own childhood experiences, previous relationships, and any experience of parenting or caring for children. They will also need to explore their approach to childcare, explain their motivation to foster, and demonstrate empathy and the ability to care for children who have experienced adversity. As part of the process, we will contact personal references and gather the views of those who know the applicant well.
Upon completion of the fostering assessment, applicants will be advised whether their application is being recommended to proceed to Foster Panel and will be given an appointment to attend. The full fostering assessment report will be provided to applicants at least 10 days before panel, and they will be asked to identify any inaccuracies and provide comments on the content. Applicants who receive a negative recommendation may challenge this by requesting that the assessment is still presented to panel for consideration and by accessing the Independent Review Mechanism (IRM), which will be explained to them.
For transferring foster parents, statutory checks will be initiated while information is being gathered for the assessment. As soon as a foster parent intends to transfer, they must inform their existing Fostering service. We will then request access to the information held by that service, including their previous fostering assessment, annual review documentation, and supervision records, which helps to streamline the assessment process.
The assessing social worker will make contact with applicants to fill any gaps and consider any changes to their circumstances since the initial assessment was completed. We will also still need to contact references and gather the views of those who know the applicant well. We aim to complete a full fostering assessment and present it to panel within three months.
Once transferring applicants receive confirmation of a positive recommendation and a panel date, FIT will contact the existing fostering service to arrange a transfer protocol meeting. The transfer protocol meeting is held between the applicant, the existing fostering service, and FIT to ensure that there is no detriment to the foster parent in transferring. The Local Authority social worker for any children currently placed with the foster parents will also be included to ensure that there is no detriment to any child.
Foster Panel acts as a quality assurance mechanism to ensure that only competent and suitable foster parents are approved. The Panel is usually made up of around five or six individuals who have experience in fostering or statutory services, and who may have backgrounds in health, education, social work, adoption, fostering, or lived experience of care. Panel members will introduce themselves and outline their background to applicants. The assessing social worker will also attend to support applicants throughout the process.
Applicants will be given an indication of whether the Panel is in agreement with the recommendation of the fostering assessment on the day of the meeting. However, approval by Panel must then be ratified by the Agency Decision Maker (ADM) before an applicant becomes registered as a foster parent. This decision is usually confirmed within five working days of Panel. A letter will then be sent to foster parents outlining the terms of their approval, including the number of children they can care for and the type of fostering they are approved to provide. Foster parents will also be required to enter into a Foster Parent Agreement with FIT, which sets out the expectations of both the foster parents and FIT.
Once fully approved, a supervising social worker will be allocated to the foster parents, and the support and matching process will begin to identify a child who would be an appropriate match for foster parents and their family. Irrespective of whether a child is currently in their care, foster parents are expected to make themselves available for visits from their supervising social worker and to engage in supervision at least every 6–8 weeks. This ensures that the foster parents’ circumstances have not changed, that they remain in a position to provide safe and effective care, that any child’s needs are being met, and that any areas for training or support are identified. We also carry out a minimum of one unannounced visit each year to observe the home environment and family dynamics when foster parents are not expecting a visit.
Foster parents are expected to return to Panel within their first year of approval and every three years thereafter, or sooner if there has been a significant change in their circumstances or if their approval criteria needs to be amended. Foster parents will be asked to provide feedback and contribute to the review report that is prepared for Panel, and this report will be shared with them at least seven days in advance. In the intervening period between Panel, reviews will continue to take place annually and will be overseen by an Independent Reviewing Officer. We will support applicants and foster parents throughout these processes and remain available to answer any questions they may have.
