Who can foster

Foster carers come from all walks of life. We are looking for ordinary people who can do an extraordinary job. You do need to enjoy being with children and young people, to be patient, understanding and tolerant with plenty of energy.

You'll almost certainly need a sense of humour too. You don't need to be married, have children of your own or any direct previous experience but you will need room in your home for a foster child to have their own space.

We need flexible and reliable people who are up for a new challenge with the capacity and personal qualities to look after a child. We need carers who reflect children's ethnicity and can promote their religious and cultural heritage.

We can't promise anyone an easy time but we can promise that you will make a real difference in a child or young person's life. It could be one of the most rewarding things you ever do.

Marital status and sexuality

It doesn't matter if you are married, divorced, single or cohabiting. What does matter are the skills and qualities you can offer a child or young person in placement. If you are in a partnership we do expect both of you to be present when we visit and both of you would be involved in the assessment process and attend the training.

Lesbian and gay couples or single lesbian and gay men can all foster. We are committed to equal opportunities and interested in the skills and care you have to offer, not your sexuality.

Living arrangements

A spare room is an essential requirement to foster a child. It’s not essential to live in Trafford but most of your activity as a foster carer, such as transporting children to school and family contact visits, attending appointments and meetings is likely to take place within the borough, so you will need to bear this in mind if you don’t live in Trafford.

If you live in rented accommodation you can foster but you will need permission from your landlord and a spare room for the child.

You can foster if you have pets as long as they are happy to be around children. Pets can be great companions to children and beneficial to a foster family. Your pet’s behaviour and temperament will have to be assessed when you apply to foster as well as any allergies a child may have.

Not driving or not having a car does not prevent you from becoming a foster carer, but you would need to consider how you would safely transport children to places they need to go, such as school or family contact visits as well as how you would get to training events and meetings about the child that you would need to attend.

If you have recently moved to the UK you can foster providing you have evidence that you can live and work indefinitely in the UK. And that you have the language skills to be able to communicate clearly with children and professionals.

Children

You do not have to have childen of your own to foster. You do need to enjoy being with children and have an understanding of their development and needs. Fostering is a job for the whole family so if you do have children or young people of your own they would also be involved in the assessment process.

If you have children living at home you can foster as long as you have a spare room for the foster child. Fostered children cannot share a bedroom with your children. You may have a spare room because your own child has moved out of the family home, for example to go to university. In this case you should consider whether they are likely to return to live with you or need the room during the holidays.

Many foster carers also care for their birth children alongside children they are fostering. You will need to consider the age of your children and the potential impact on them and involve them in making the decision to foster. This is something that we will explore further and support you with during your application and assessment.

Employment status

Foster carers are expected to be available to care for children, attend meetings, training, support groups, and to promote and support contact between a child and their family.

You can work and foster, but your working arrangements should be flexible enough to ensure that you can meet all these requirements. Some children will need a level of care that will be incompatible with a job outside the home, but others, particularly older children, may benefit from living in a household where adults role model successful careers and fulfilled working lives.

If you are interested in fostering pre-school children, one carer would need to be available at all times. After school clubs or play schemes are not always considered appropriate to provide the consistent levels of care that some foster children may need.

Also, our home from home scheme needs foster carers who can offer planned short breaks to children with disabilities and their families. We also offer short breaks to our full time foster carers who request a weekend or holiday break.

You can foster if you're unemployed, you just need to have the time and space to make a difference in children and young people's lives.

Qualifications

You do not need specific qualifications to foster. When you are preparing to foster we will provide training for you and your family, starting with the Skills to Foster course, and will continue to offer additional training once children are placed in your care.

Health

We do not have an upper age limit for our foster carers; your life experience is viewed positively. You do need to be relatively fit and healthy in order to meet the needs of children and young people in a safe way.

A medical check-up is a legal requirement for all applicants. However, if you have medical conditions this will not necessarily stop you from becoming a foster carer. Many foster carers do manage long term conditions such as asthma or diabetes. The most important thing is that you are physically and mentally fit enough to cope with the demands of caring for a child.

Smoking or vaping does not prevent you from fostering older children, but it would stop you from being able to foster children aged under five.

Criminal records

Having a criminal conviction does not automatically prevent you from fostering. We consider every application individually and on its own merits. However, if you have any offences against children, or other serious offences, then you will not be considered as a foster carer.

All applicants are subject to an Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check, along with any members of your household aged 18 or over. No convictions or cautions can be considered as ‘spent’ and you should inform us immediately if you have any convictions or cautions, no matter how long ago they were committed.

Holidays

You can take a foster child on holiday or abroad but this cannot be for longer than 28 days or during school time. You will need to gain consent and permission from the local authority and the person with parental responsibility for the child.

How long it takes to become a foster carer

It usually takes between four and six months from your initial inquiry to being approved by the foster panel. During this time you will have home visits, go through the application and assessment process and take part in introductory training. View our step by step process of how to become an approved foster carer.

Pay

We know that payment is important to enable you to give the child or young person in your care the home life they deserve. There is a standard allowance and enhanced payments in certain circumstances. View more information on pay rates.