The Fostering Assessment Process

The fostering process begins when you get in touch with us, whether that be via phone or our website contact form, to express your interest in becoming a foster carer. One of our friendly team will follow up with you, answer any of your initial questions, and run you through the next steps.

When you’re ready, we’ll arrange a time convenient to you when we can come and visit you and any of your family at home. This is a great opportunity to find out more about which type of fostering may be best for you and to ask any further questions you might have.

After the home visit we’ll discuss if now is the right time for you to proceed to becoming a foster carer. If the answer is ‘yes!’, we’ll invite you to apply to become a foster carer and help you complete your application form.

To become a foster carer, there is a mandatory training course based locally in Peterborough, which runs for four days over a period of a couple of weeks. Here, you will get the chance to meet other potential foster carers, hear first-hand from some of our looked-after children and gain the skills you need to become a foster carer.

A ‘Form F’ assessment is then completed for all potential new foster carers which involves undertaking a number of background checks and gathering references. Although this may seem daunting as it is an in-depth process, it is simply here to ensure the safety of the children we care for. You will then be allocated a dedicated Social Worker who will work one-on-one with you to complete this assessment and support you as required. If you are already a foster carer transferring from an Independent Fostering Agency (IFA), we have a fast-track process, and you will not be required to complete a full ‘Form F’.

Your final application will then be presented to our local fostering panel. You will also be asked to attend, along with your dedicated Social Worker, to answer any questions the panel may have. The panel will then decide your suitability to foster and the age group and number of children you are approved to care for. Once our agency decision-maker has verified this decision, you will join our team of foster carers and be ready to begin making a difference in the lives of our children and young people in care.