You may have lots of questions about fostering, we’re here to help and guide you through the fostering process.
Many commonly asked questions and myths about fostering are answered, however, everyone is different so we’re happy to answer any specific question you may have.
Q. What is Fostering?
A. Fostering is looking after someone else’s child in your home. It’s different from adoption where the adoptive parent becomes the legal parent of the child.
Q. What are the types of foster care?
A. Some foster parents offer more than one type of placement, some specialise. The types of foster care can be found here.
Q. Am I too old to be a foster carer?
A. There are no age limits to fostering, you need to be fit, well and have the energy to look after children.
Q. How old do you need to be to foster a child?
A. There is no minimum age but you need the maturity to understand and meet the needs of children.
Q. Do you need to own your own home?
A. No, many foster carers rent their homes. The important thing is that your living arrangements are stable.
Q. Do you have to be married to be a foster carer?
A. No. Many foster carers are not married.
Q. Can single people foster?
A. Yes. Single men and single women are foster carers.
Q. Can same sex couples foster?
A. Yes. It’s about what you can offer children, not who you’re in a relationship with.
Q. Can foster children share with my children?
A. No. Children in care require their own bedroom but may share with their own siblings.
Q. I/We don’t have children, can I still foster?
A. You don’t have to have had your own children.
Q. I have been in trouble with the police or courts before, does that stop me fostering?
A. It all depends. Each case is considered individually. All we ask is that you’re open and up front from the word go. As a guide the older and more minor the offence the less likely it would be to stop you fostering. People who have moved on in their lives can often become foster carers.
Q. I have had some medical issues, can I still foster?
A. By law everyone who fosters has to have a medical to ensure you are fit and well enough to meet the needs of a child. This is normally carried out by your GP and any additional information from a consultant can be considered by our independent medical advisor.
Q. If I have a disability, impairment or long-term health condition can I still apply?
A. Yes. We aim to match the different skills and abilities of all applicants to the needs of individual children. We are happy to have a chat with you in confidence about your circumstances.
Q. Where do the children come from?
A. Children are referred to SFS from a wide range of local authorities
Q. How old are children in care
A. Children of all ages may be in care from 0 to 18 years of age
Q. What are foster children like
A. All children are different. While many children in care have had unfortunate early life experiences at the end of the day children are children and deserve a safe, secure, loving family.
Q. Do foster carers get paid?
A. Foster carers receive a weekly allowance for each child they are looking after. On average £476 per child per week, plus holiday/respite, birthday and festival payments.
Q. Is the allowance taxable?
A. Most of the fostering allowance is not taxable.
Q. Will fostering affect my benefits?
A. In general fostering allowances do not affect benefits but this can be complex depending on individual circumstances. We can offer specific advice.
Q. What training is available for foster carers?
A. There is an initial training course over two weekends to help you fully understand what fostering is all about. After that we develop a personal training programme to focus on areas that are most helpful to you based on your experience.
Q. What support is available when fostering?
A. All foster carers have a named, qualified, social worker assigned to them.
Q. What happens out of office hours if I need help?
A. We run an on-call service 24 hours a day so an experienced, qualified social worker is available at all times.
Q. Welsh Government have said they want to eliminate profit making from the care of looked after children. How does that impact SFS?
A. As a registered fostering charity they want us to carry on exactly as we are. They have said they will stop profit making businesses continue working in fostering.
Q. I still have some questions about fostering.
A. No problem. Get in touch or request more information below.
Q. Ok I want to apply what do I do next?
A. Click below as we need some information from you.