Becoming a foster carer
For more of a background on what fostering is and what is involved, please first read our fostering page.
If you have decided that you are interested in becoming a foster carer, the following section outlines our assessment process and contains some additional information that could be helpful.
Step 1 - Register your interest
If you think that fostering is right for you and your family at this time and you are ready to begin the application process - or if you have any additional questions - then please get in touch with us by using the contact details at the foot of the page.
Step 2 - Home visit
A supervising social worker from our fostering team will contact you to discuss your interest and arrange a convenient time to visit you and your family and talk through any questions you may have. There may be a follow-up visit to give you a chance to think through the information and decide whether fostering is right for you and your family.
Step 3 - Fostering Preparation Groups
Where everyone is in agreement that your enquiry is progressed, you will be invited to attend Skills to Foster Preparation Groups along with other prospective foster carers.
This part of the process will help you and us decide whether fostering is right for you. This involves six sessions, which generally take place over a weekend and up to two evenings. The course will cover areas including:
- Understanding what foster carers do
- The legal system around a child in foster care, the role of other professionals and how foster carers work as part of the team around a child
- The impact of adverse early childhood experiences on attachment and behaviour
- Child development and what children need to thrive and develop
- The impact of separation and loss
- Positive approaches to managing behaviour
- Diversity and identity
- Child protection and safer caring
- Helping children to move on
Step 4 - Assessment
If progressing to this stage, you will be allocated a supervising social worker who will undertake an assessment with you and your family. This involves several visits to your home to get to know you, your family, your support network and your early experiences to make sure you can offer a child safety, security and stability.
We will assist you to look at the qualities and experience you already have and help you to develop any additional skills and knowledge you need to provide good quality, nurturing care to a child. During the assessment, the following checks will be completed:
- Full medical (for both applicants)
- Detailed criminal records checks for all members of the household over 16 years. Prospective foster carers will require to be registered with the PVG scheme and enhanced disclosure checks will be completed on all other adult family members
- Current and previous local authority checks
- Health authority checks
- Ex-partner references where there has been co-parenting (subject to further discussion)
- Employee references (from current employer and previous employer where this has involved working in a caring capacity with children or adults)
- Personal references (at least three, two of whom must not be related. They will also be visited by an assessing social worker)
- Health and safety checks (home, car, caravan)
- Pet assessment – if applicable
- School and health board checks for birth children of applicants
- Social media checks
- Any other information may be sought which is considered appropriate in relation to your application
As you go through the process of assessment, you will be encouraged to reflect on your learning and record this in a learning portfolio. This will be presented to the Fostering Panel alongside your assessment and provides evidence of your commitment and motivation to becoming a foster carer.
In the event that your interest in fostering changes during the course of the assessment, you can withdraw your interest in writing and this will be presented to the Fostering Panel.
Similarly, if information emerges that suggests fostering is not right for you and your family at this time, your supervising social worker will present your withdrawal to the panel. You have the right to attend this panel and appeal any decision you are not in agreement with.
Step 5 - Fostering Panel
Once your assessment report is completed, this will be provided to you to comment on and make any amendments. This will then be presented to the Fostering Panel, which you, your social worker and their Team Manager will attend.
The Fostering Panel is made up of a mix of professionals from social work, health and education, foster carers, adopters and care experienced young people. The panel may ask you questions about your application and your experience of going through the assessment process.
The panel will then make a recommendation to the Agency Decision Maker who will consider their recommendation and reach a decision. You will receive a letter advising of their decision. If you have not been approved, your supervising social worker will advise why, and you are entitled to appeal this decision.
From the time you make your first enquiry with us, right through until you are approved, it usually takes between 6 and 12 months. However, this can vary depending on your assessment.
Support you will receive
Individual support
Each of our approved foster carers has their own supervising worker who visits regularly and maintains close telephone contact. Visits will be at least monthly, but are more frequent when you are newly approved or when this is required.
Their role is to support you and your family whilst you are fostering and to offer advice about any concerns you may have.
When your allocated worker is not available, a duty worker from the Families for Children Team can be contacted.
Child's social worker
Each child in foster care also has their own allocated social worker who works closely with the child and their family. They will visit to see the child in your care and offer advice and guidance relating to the child’s circumstances.
As a foster carer, you will be required to keep regular recordings of the child’s progress in your care and also complete reports and attend formal meetings for the child, such as Looked After Reviews and Children’s Hearings, where you will contribute to the child’s future plans.
Training and ongoing professional development
In North Ayrshire, we believe strongly that all of our carers should have access to quality training and ongoing opportunities for professional development.
It is equally important that you can demonstrate how you are learning and developing in the fostering role, and to do this we operate a learning portfolio process.
This allows you to show how you are putting the knowledge and skills learned through direct and online training and personal research into practice to support children in your care.
On being approved, your supervising worker will provide you with the training calendar and support you to build and reflect on your ongoing learning.
You will attend induction training within the first twelve months of being approved as a foster carer. This will provide an overview of mandatory training courses including:
- Child protection
- Safer caring
- Recording and Report Writing
- First Aid Training
- Life Story
- Child Development
- Understanding Behaviour with an Attachment and Trauma Focus
During your fostering career you will be expected to complete at least 12 individual learning actions per year to increase your skills and knowledge about different aspects of caring for children. This can include reading, researching from blogs and online resources, virtual and face to face training.
Our face-to-face training is organised around school times to take childcare responsibilities into account.
We also provide access to a comprehensive programme of online training provided by Aceducation, which can be completed at a time suitable for you. Additionally, we have a well-stocked library and carers can borrow books, articles and professional journals to aid their own learning and self-development.
Support groups
As an approved foster carer, you will be encouraged to attend our local Foster Carers' Support Groups. These are held bi-monthly and are a good opportunity to chat about fostering over a cup of coffee with workers and other carers in an informal setting.
At times these are also attended by guest speakers who have knowledge and experience of issues relevant to the fostering task.
Monthly email
One way we keep in touch with you is through our regular email.
This features developments in foster care, forthcoming training opportunities, activities in the local community, useful links about fostering from the internet and information about what is happening in the service. We also very much welcome contributions from foster carers for the email.
Fostering Network membership
We pay an annual membership to the Fostering Network for all of our foster carers, meaning they are registered as full members and receive all of the benefits this brings.
This is the UK’s leading charity for anyone involved in fostering, which supports foster carers with advice and training on everything from understanding difficulties a child in foster care may have through to advice on money matters, managing tax etc.
Allowances
Our carers receive generous allowances that reflect the caring responsibilities they have, as well as providing financial support to cover the direct cost of caring for a child. In some circumstances we can also provide an enhancement beyond the allowance to reflect the complex needs of a specific child. We currently have two schemes in operation:
- Fostering First: This is for approved foster carers who look after children and young people from birth to 18 years. The attached allowance for this is £200 per week for each child aged up to 16 years and £200 per week for the carer (total allowance of £400 per week). In line with National Fostering Allowances, the weekly allowance for children aged from 16 to 18 years is £268.41 per young person and £200 per week for the carer (total allowance of £468.41 per week).
- Fostering Xtra: Fostering Xtra carers receive an enhancement reflective of their skills and/or the complex needs of the child or young person in their care. Children who live with Fostering Xtra carers are usually aged between 10 and 18 years. In addition to the Fostering First Allowance outlined above, Fostering Xtra carers receive a supplementary allowance of £150 per week.
Next steps
If you have decided you would like to become a foster carer, please contact us using the details below or by completing the following form: