Step 1: Ready to foster?

It’s perhaps the biggest question for every potential foster carer in Greater Manchester to think about: is it right for you? Would you be suited to it? Are you up for the challenge? And what happens if you don’t like it?

To help you answer those questions, here’s a stat for starters, and we’ll take Manchester (just one of the ten Greater Manchester councils we work with) as an example. In a Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee report published last year, less than 1% of fostering households in Manchester exited the fostering programme^[1]. It’s only a little more than that for the region.

People who foster keep fostering. That may not mean it’s right for you – but lots of people who were once in your shoes have discovered it’s definitely right for them.

To help you decide whether you’re ready to foster, it’s a good idea to hear from the people who are already doing it. Take a look at our fostering stories. Explore this site to learn more about what’s involved. Perhaps ask around to see if there’s anyone you know who’s already fostering.

Step 2: Are you eligible to foster in Greater Manchester?

There aren’t many limitations on who can be a foster carer. You don’t need to be married. You don’t need your own home. You don’t need to fit a particular profile in terms of age, gender, religion, status or sexuality.

As you might expect though, there are a few basic requirements (like being over 21, having leave to remain in the UK, and having a spare room for your foster child).

Find more about the eligibility requirements for fostering in Greater Manchester.

Step 3: The fostering application process – preparing for each stage

It’s important to understand that the application process isn’t just about us assessing your eligibility and readiness to be a Greater Manchester foster carer. It’s equally as much an opportunity for you to get into the detail to understand whether it really is right for you.

That’s why it’s worth doing a little prep so that you get all that you need out of each stage. Here’s how to do that.

Initial enquiry: It’s at this stage that we’ll take some details from you. We’ll do a quick check of the eligibility criteria we explore above. We’ll also answer your questions.

How to prepare: Ahead of getting in touch with us, it makes sense to spend a little time thinking about the things you don’t know. Now’s your chance to ask the questions (big or small) that can help shape your decision. You really can ask us anything!

At this point, you’re not committed to anything and if you’d rather not proceed further, that’s fine – just let us know. But if you’d like to take things a stage further, we’ll get the ball rolling on the application process.

Home visit: We know more than a few Greater Manchester foster carers who went a little OTT preparing for their home visit. They really didn’t need to.

The home visit is where a social carer comes to your home for a chat about you, your family, your home and work, and your reasons for thinking about fostering. They’ll answer any questions you’ve thought of since your initial enquiry. And they’ll check to make sure your home is an appropriate place for a child. That’s not a judgement about you; it’s simply about being responsible for the children in our care.

As an example, a social worker might spot that a pond in the garden could be a hazard for young children. That doesn’t mean you have to fill in the pond. But they might advise you to place some rigid mesh over it to protect an inquisitive toddler from falling in.

How to prepare: Be prepared to answer some simple questions about you, your family and your lifestyle. You might want to think beforehand about how you might answer the question: ‘why do you want to be a foster carer?’, but please be honest. Don’t try to think of an answer you think the social carer ‘wants to hear’. It’s not a trick question and there’s no single right (or wrong) answer.

How not to prepare: Don’t stress. Don’t feel the need to remodel the living room or redecorate the bedroom. Don’t try to meet a stereotype. All sorts of people can be foster carers – in fact, it’s the differences between our carers that help us support a broad group of young people. We want to find out about you, and we can only do that if you show us who you really are.

The application: The formal application looks at lots of different aspects of your life.

How to prepare: You can make this part of the process quicker and simpler by being ready for what’s going to be asked. Before you begin the application, pull together the following:

• Financial documents like banking details and statements.
• Medical information (names and addresses of family surgeries, any medication members of the household are taking; any significant medical issues).
• Family details: we’ll want to know about the people in your life. That will definitely include the people who live with you, but it may include others who might engage with any foster children in your care. These could include parents, adult children who no longer live with you, ex-partners, lodgers and so on.
•  Employment details.
•  You’ll also be asked about your personal history, about your life, childhood, jobs and relationships. The questions will be intrusive and handling them can be difficult, but it’s easier to tackle them if you know that they are going to come up.

Skills to foster: This is a three-day course to help you understand fostering and the expectations of you and your family as Greater Manchester foster carers. It’s also an opportunity to meet other carers.

How to prepare: There’s no real prep required ahead of the course, but it’s good to approach it with an open mind, and ready to learn.

Step 4: Fostering panel approval

Four to six months after starting the process, your suitability for fostering will be assessed and confirmed by the fostering panel.

How to prepare: By this point, you’ll have done all the preparation required. Although you’ll need to answer a few questions, your social worker will have made sure you’re ready for the day and, if they don’t think you’re ready, they won’t put you before the panel.

You might find it more challenging to plan how you’re going to celebrate being approved!

Step 5: Getting ready for your first foster child

The first day with your first foster child is about as daunting as things get for foster carers. Fortunately, there’s lots you can do to help things go smoothly.

How to prepare:

1. Get a room ready: Foster carers look after children of all ages, so you’ll want to create a room with décor that works for everyone. Make it safe and cosy, and you can always tailor the space with age appropriate finishing touches. It’s a good idea to have a night light. Getting a child to choose their bedding or some decorative touches is a great way to bond.

2. Create a family welcome pack: This is a brilliant way to get existing children involved with welcoming their new arrival. Put together a small folder of important details like who’s who, together with information about pets,  the home and the local area.

3. Have a new arrival bag at the ready: Foster children will often arrive at your home with few possessions other than the clothes they’re wearing. So, once you’ve had confirmation of a new arrival, put together a little bag of age appropriate essentials like toothbrush, pyjamas, sanitary products, shampoo and shower gel etc.

Talk to us

Ask us a question about anything fostering related. When you do, we promise you’re not committing yourself to anything. It’s massively important to us that anyone thinking about fostering has all the information they need to make the right decision for them, because we want them to remain foster carers.

So if there’s anything you’re unsure of,  please just ask.

[1] Fostering Service Annual Report