Fostering Assessment Process

Get Set!

Next, you will be asked to give us detailed information that will help us to take up the checks and references that are a necessary part of every fostering application - these will be discussed with so you understand what is needed and why. A social worker will visit your family regularly to discuss your skills and experiences. They will work with you to find out what type of fostering will suit you and your family. This “assessment” will be put into a written report, called a Form F, which outlines your suitability to foster.

The assessment builds on the questions you might be asked during your call with a duty worker and during your initial home visits. Your social worker wants to understand more about your life experiences, attitudes, any special skills or qualities you have and what you can offer to support a child in need of a foster home .

We talk about children’s health and the support that different ages have talk to you about how, as foster carers, you can make a positive difference to a child in important areas like this.

The assessment is also to establish that fostering is actually the right move for you and your family. When the social worker visits they will want to speak to everyone in the home and make sure that everyone is on board and has no concerns or worries.

The culmination of the assessment visits is a written report called a Form F. The report, written by your social worker and agreed and signed off by you, forms the basis for the recommendation on the age and number of children that you could look after.

During your assessment you will be invited to join a preparation training course. This will prepare you for looking after a foster child, give you a chance to hear from established foster carers and learn more about the day to day details of fostering.

Once everyone is agreed about your Form F report, it is submitted to an independent Panel. The panel is made up of a group of individuals who all have experience and knowledge of fostering and children.

The panel are responsible for making the recommendation on who should go forward to foster, the ages they should foster and the type of fostering they can provide.