Fostering a disabled child
The role of an independent fostering agency
Can I choose who I foster?
How to foster
What are the benefits of fostering with an independent fostering agency?
What happens when a child is taken into care?
Fostering process: what happens on an initial home visit?
Can you foster if you have mental health issues?
Fostering with local authority vs independent agency
Interview: Life as a foster parent during the pandemic
Becoming A Foster Carer
Benefits of becoming a foster parent
What is a Care Leaver?
What is a Foster Carer?
What is Foster Care?
Do I become a Foster Carer?
Fostering Regulations
How much do Foster Parents get paid?
How to Foster a Child
How long does it take to become a Foster Carer?
How to foster – everything you ever wanted to know
Facts about Foster Care
What are the Foster Care requirements?
Foster Care Handbook
Foster Carer Job Description
Changing IFA - Transferring to Capstone
Fostering Definition
Foster Care Statistics
Fostering Assessment
Fostering Outcomes
Fostering Stories
Fostering Children UK
Children needing Fostering
8 reasons why a child may be taken into care
Fostering as a Career
Looked after Children
Top transferable job skills to become a foster carer
Fostering as a same sex couple
Fostering while renting
Can I foster if...?
Mythbusting the top 10 Foster Care Myths
Can I foster if I am disabled?
LGBT Fostering Mythbusting
Can I foster if I have pets?
Can I Foster A Child?
Can you Foster and Work?
Can you Foster with a Criminal Record
Fostering as a Single Parent
LGBT Family and Foster Care
Fostering across Cultures
Muslim Fostering
Christian Foster Care
Sikh
Empty Nest Syndrome and Foster Care
10 things you can do when your Children fly the nest
Can I Foster?
Fostering Babies - Myths
Focusing on Parent & Child Fostering
Fostering Siblings
Fostering Teenagers
Fostering Teenagers - Breaking down the Myths
Fostering Unaccompanied and Asylum Seeking Children
Mother and Baby Foster Placements
Private Fostering
Therapeutic Fostering - Multi-disciplinary Assessment Treatment & Therapy Service (MATTS)
Young Children Fostering Placements
Difference between short and long-term fostering
How to prepare a child for becoming a care leaver
Children who foster: impact of fostering on birth children
How to prepare your home for a foster child
10 tips for foster children’s education
How to prepare your foster child for secondary school
Tips for coping when foster placements end
Tips for foster parents during Coronavirus
What happens if foster parents get divorced?
5 ways to manage Mother’s Day with foster children
Tips for managing foster children’s bedtime routines
How to handle foster child bullying
Fostering allowances and the gender pay gap
Tips for keeping foster children safe online
How to adopt from Foster Care
5 ways to manage Father’s Day with foster children
8 most common fostering challenges
Supporting foster children’s contact with birth families
How to deal with empty nest syndrome
How to recognise signs of depression in foster children
Can you take a foster child on holiday?
Tips and advice on fostering with a disability
10 tips on connecting with your Foster Child
Fostering versus Adoption - What's the difference?
How Fostering can change a future
How to adopt from Foster Care
How to encourage children to read in Foster Care
How to prepare a Foster Child's bedroom
Online grooming - unwanted contact and how to identify it
Reading and storytelling with Babies and young Children
Supporting Children's Learning
Technology and Internet Safety advice
The 20 most recommended books Foster Carers and young people should read
The impact of early childhood traumas on adolescence and adulthood
Tips for coping with attachment disorders in Foster Children
Tips for supporting reunification in Foster Care
Together for a better Internet - Web Safety for Foster Children
What is sexual abuse and sexual violence
Foster Child behaviour management strategies
Foster Parent Advice: What to expect in your first year of fostering
Capstone's twelve tips at Christmas
10 celebrities who grew up in Foster Care
Celebrating our Children and Young People
Could Millenials be the solution to the Foster Care crisis?
Do you work in Emergency Services?
Form F Assessor and Assessment Training
Foster Care Fortnight
Improving Children's Welfare - Celebrating Universal Children's Day
It's time to talk about Mental Health and Foster Care
New Year - New Career - Become a Foster Carer
Promoting the rights and wellbeing of persons with Disabilities
Refugee Week
Young people and Mental Health in a changing world
Young People Charities
Considering becoming a foster parent? Or want to know more about how to foster a child? Recent statistics show that the UK needs to recruit over 8,600 new foster carers to keep up with demand. That’s why we’re always looking for dedicated and caring individuals to join the Capstone team.
However, despite foster care being one of the most rewarding professions, getting started and understanding how to become a foster parent can be a little daunting. That’s why we put together this foster care guide. Learn more about how to become a foster carer and how to foster a child today.
As an independent foster care provider, the “can I foster?” question is one we get asked a lot. In the majority of cases, the answer is “yes”, as long as you meet the fostering criteria:
There are of course other aspects to consider, but these three things are the main criteria to being able to provide quality foster care services with an agency like Capstone Foster Care. Find out more about our foster care requirements today – or learn more about who can foster from our guide on ‘Can I foster if…?’.
Once you’ve decided to become a foster carer and have met the application requirements, there’s a choice to make – do you start fostering with a local authority or an independent foster care agency like Capstone Foster Care?
Local authorities are organisations like local and county councils – these are the government bodies that will initially remove a child from their home if they feel it necessary. Many years ago, all looked after children were placed directly to local authority foster carers. Over time, however, the demand for carers has increased while the local authorities’ ability to meet that demand has not. This is why independent foster care agencies are so important; without services like those offered by Capstone, there would be a huge deficit in available carers.
It's likely that independent foster care agencies can provide more resources, including a better weekly pay, more detailed fostering training programmes and have more supervising social workers to provide more one-to-one support. Learn more about the benefits of fostering with an independent fostering agency.
Next, to start your journey to becoming a foster parent, simply get in touch with the team here at Capstone and submit an initial expression of interest. Your submission will be considered by a social worker who will decide whether to take your application forward. If this is successful, you’ll be asked to fill out a full application form which will require you to give consent for the completion of statutory checks, including a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, and for your references to be contacted. Anyone living with you over the age of 18 years will also be subject to checks.
Once your application is submitted, the fostering assessment process begins. This helps the care agency identify what skills and qualities you can bring to the world of foster care. This is usually done through a series of meetings with an assigned supervising social worker.
Your social worker will talk to you about your personal and professional history, your family, your health and hobbies. They’ll also ask about your support network, make sure your home is suitable for foster care and ensure you can provide a safe fostering environment. All of these discussions will be formalised and detailed on a Form F assessment document.
Once the Form F assessment is completed, you’ll meet with an independent foster care panel. These experienced and objective panels meet regularly to provide feedback on the suitability and capability of potential foster carers.
At the panel meeting, the panel members will discuss your Form F assessment with you and ask any further questions they might have before making a final recommendation. Bear in mind that the foster panel’s recommendation is not final – and the decision remains with your foster care agency. Agencies do however take the panel’s recommendation into account when deciding whether to approve new foster carers.
Once you’ve been approved by your foster care agency, that’s the end of the application process. You’ll officially be a registered foster carer!
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Once you’ve become a registered carer, there is only one thing left – your first placement. You could receive a placement straight away, but it’s common to have a small gap before your first placement. This is because, when placing a child or young person, we always try to choose the right foster carer for their needs.
The full foster care placement process at Capstone works as follows:
If you’re looking to start your foster care journey now you’ve learnt how to foster a child, all you need to do is get in touch. You can reach our friendly fostering team by giving us a call on 0800 012 4004, by filling out our enquiry form or by using our live chat service.
Our office staff will be happy to answer any questions you might have on how to foster, while helping you take your first step on the path to a rewarding new career.
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If you’ve got any questions or would like to find out more about fostering with Capstone, fill out the form below.
An experienced fostering advisor from your local area will then be in touch.
Start the conversation today. Our team of friendly advisors are on hand to answer any foster care questions you may have. We can offer you honest and practical advice that can help you decide if becoming a foster carer is the right path for you.
