Becoming a foster carer in the UK

Interested in fostering?

Perhaps it’s been a career path you’ve been toying with for a while – or you simply just want to find out more information, becoming a foster carer is made easy with help from Excel Fostering. So, what are the first things you need to know about fostering?

• Fostering pay
• Fostering requirements
• First steps
• Fostering training

How to become a foster carer

Fostering as a career

It’s important to note that fostering can be a full-time career, with the government establishing fostering allowances for a weekly basis for fostering children until they turn 18. Here at Excel Fostering, we offer competitive fostering allowances for our foster parents – which are determined based on the type of fostering placement, if this requires any specialist skills or training and how many children you would have in a placement. Learn more about how much foster parents get paid now.

Who can foster?

Before becoming a foster carer, you’ll need to meet a specific set of fostering criteria. This is so the right foster carers are chosen to be able to look after young people and children, and you must meet these requirements before applying to become a foster carer. Some of the most well-known fostering requirements include:

• You must have a spare bedroom
• You must be over the age of 21
• You must be in good health

There are also other requirements to bear in mind, such as being a full-time resident in the UK and having enough time to support and care for a child. Learn more about the full fostering requirements from our detailed guide now.

First steps to becoming a foster parent

Once you have familiarised yourself with the fostering pay, and the requirements you need to become a foster parent, the next step is to get in touch with our team.

Excel Fostering will set up a discussion with you over the phone which will go into more detail about fostering as a career and how to become a foster carer. This discussion will be with one of our friendly team members and will be an informal chat so we can provide you with more information to help make your decision.

Next, one of our expert staff will make a home visit. This will give you the opportunity to ask more detailed questions and the advisor the chance to assess the home, and the space, you have available. After this, you will then fill out an application form to allow the social worker to begin the assessment process.

Fostering training programmes

The following steps include attending foster care training sessions and going through certain checks to ensure your eligibility for fostering. This fostering training will feature our Skills to Foster course, which covers areas such as what foster carers do, safe-caring, helping children to deal with change and managing challenging behaviour. Our team will also provide ongoing support to our foster parents, with our expert team being on hand 24/7.

For more information on the fostering process, or becoming a foster parent in the UK, read our detailed guide. 

The best course of action if you’re interested in becoming a foster parent is to get in touch with a member of our expert team. Here, we will be able to provide you with detailed information and support on what being a foster parent means, including the demands, fostering training information and more.