How do you become a foster carer? What are the barriers to becoming a carer? And how do you decide if fostering is right for you?

You’re thinking of becoming a foster carer. Or perhaps you’ve not even got quite that far, and you’re just kicking the idea around and mulling over a few what ifs. 

Before vague thoughts can become firm ideas, you’ll want some concrete answers to some simple (but vitally important) questions.

That’s what we’ll cover in this post.

Are you eligible to be a foster carer in Greater Manchester?

Ignoring the question of whether fostering is right for you (we’ll explore that in a second), there’s the equally important issue of are you right for fostering.

If you want to foster in Greater Manchester, you’ll need to meet these criteria for starters:

• You’ll need to be a UK resident or have permanent leave to remain
• You’ll need to be at least 18 (and usually 21)
• You’ll need to be able to care for a child or young person
• You’ll need your own home (renting is fine) and have room for a foster child. In most cases (unless they’re very young babies) they’ll need their own room.

Is fostering right for you?

You could tick every box in terms of suitability to be a foster carer, but ultimately the most important criterion of all sits somewhere between your head, heart and gut. You have to want to do it. And because fostering is (usually) 24/7 and full on, you have to want to do it for the right reasons (that is, you want to help a child or young person, you believe you can make a real difference, and you’re ready to commit to it).

How on earth are you supposed to know all of that?

Talk to any foster carer and the honest answer is that, until you begin, you really don’t quite know what to expect, but you can go a long way towards preparing yourself by doing your research.

• Start by exploring fostering on this website
• Explore our fostering stories, from people just like you who’ve been there and done it
• Do you know anyone who fosters already? It’s a great idea to ask for their thoughts and advice as part of your research
• Try listening to a podcast or two – there are lots out there – although try to stick to UK podcasts as experiences can vary quite a lot around the world

Once you’re going through the application process, you’ll have many more chances to build your understanding, and we’ll support you throughout.

The steps to becoming a foster carer in Greater Manchester

Decided fostering is for you? If you haven’t already, now’s the time to get in touch. Here’s what happens next…

Initial enquiry: We’ll take some details from you, including exploring the eligibility issues we looked at earlier. We’ll answer your questions and, if you’re ready, we’ll get the ball rolling on the application process.

Home visit: A social worker will visit your home to find out more about you, your family, your home and work, and the reasons you want to become a foster carer.

The application process can feel quite intrusive, so be prepared for lots of questions about your life. These aren’t designed to catch you out, but we have a responsibility to keep our children and young people safe. We also have a responsibility to you, to ensure that you are ready for everything that fostering involves, so you’ll have lots of opportunity to ask questions.

The application: This digs into your life (and the lives of family members) more deeply. You’ll be asked about all sorts of things that may impact a foster child’s life, questions about finances, about your relationship(s), about any ex-partners, about medical or police issues.

Remember, you are free to walk away at any point throughout this process – but we’d rather you didn’t! As we’ll explore below – it’s important you don’t assume that what you might imagine would be a problem (e.g. a chronic health condition; a criminal record) will prevent you from fostering. It might, but in many cases, it won’t.

Skills to foster: You won’t be on your own when you become a foster carer. You’ll be part of a team, and you’ll be given skills to help you be a better carer. You’ll start building those skills now.

Fostering panel: The last stage of the process, where your suitability will be finally assessed and a recommendation will be made to the fostering service. Once this stage is complete, usually 4-6 months after your initial application, you’ll be ready to receive your first child.

Ongoing support: As an approved foster carer, you will have your own supervising social worker who will visit you regularly to offer help and advice. With other professionals and fellow foster carers, they will provide a support network for you, your family and the child you care for.

There aren’t many barriers for fostering in Greater Manchester

Lots of people decide not to press ahead with fostering because they believe something about their past, their lifestyle or their health will be a barrier. Usually, that’s not the case. These are the most common concerns potential foster carers have:

Age: As we’ve already seen, there’s a younger age limit for fostering but there isn’t an upper age limit. As long as you meet the other criteria, you could be an amazing foster carer in your 60s or 70s.

Status: You don’t have to be married or in a stable relationship to foster. You can foster as a single carer.

Sexuality: Your sexuality has no impact on your ability to care for a child or young person. So it isn’t a barrier to fostering either.

Health: Fostering can be demanding, so it’s important that you’re in sufficiently good health (mentally and physically) to be the carer a foster child needs. We’ll explore this as part of your assessment, but it’s worth noting that we have foster carers working with us right now who have diabetes and asthma.

Smoking: We want the children in our care to grow up in a smoke-free environment. If you’re a smoker, we’ll encourage you to quit during the assessment process.

Criminal record: The law bars anyone found guilty of a sexual offence or a crime against children from fostering. Beyond that, a criminal record won’t automatically prevent you from fostering. You will be required to declare a criminal record and we’ll consider it as part of your application.

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 and love the fulfilling experience that fostering offers.

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