Frequently Asked Questions

To view the answers to each question please click on the relevant one and it will direct you straight to it:

1. What is fostering?
2. Why do children/young people need to be fostered?
3. What kinds of children are fostered?
4. Can I choose how long I want children/young people to stay with me?
5. Can I choose the gender and age of the children to foster?
6. Who can apply to be a foster carer?
7. Do I have to be a home owner?
8. Do I need specific qualifications?
9. I have a criminal record; will I be able to be a foster carer?
10. Can I still go out to work and be a foster carer?
11. Do I have to undergo an assessment?
12. How long does the assessment process take?
13. What training can I expect to receive?
14. What sort of support will I get if i'm finding it difficult to cope?
15. How will fostering affect our own children?
16. How much will I get paid?
17. What do I need to do next?

What is fostering?

Fostering is a way of providing family life for children and young people until they can return to their own families or independence. There are many different types of fostering. Some carers choose to specialise in one area of fostering, but others may opt to take a mixture of children for varying lengths of time.

Why do children/young people need to be fostered?

There are many different reasons why families are unable to look after their children. Many of these reasons will only apply for a short time. For instance, some children may come into foster care for a few weeks during a time of crisis or bereavement. In other cases children might need to be fostered for a much longer period. It may take two or three years before a child is able to return home while social workers and others try to resolve more serious problems within the family. Some children will not return home but maintain contact with their families and live in foster care until they are able to live on their own.

What kinds of children are fostered?

The children who are placed with foster carers come from many social, ethnic and religious backgrounds. Although we do place younger children, the majority of the young people that carers will work with will be teenagers. They may have experienced a variety of problems in their life. Many will be deeply upset about being away from their families and may present challenges to care for when they first come in to foster care. However, this does not mean that all children in foster care are ‘problem children’ and many, given sufficient time to settle, are likely to be no more ‘difficult’ than any other child.

Some of the children placed with foster carers, because of their history, will have more issues than most and will offer a considerable challenge to their foster carers. This does not mean that they should not be placed with foster carers as this may still be seen as being in their best interests. In some cases children will be identified as needing a specialist fostering placement when their needs are great and where they will place great demands upon those who care for them.

Wherever possible, Lorimer Foster Services prefer planned placements. This would include introductions and visits prior to any child coming to stay in your home. At no point are foster carers required to take any individual referral, and each foster carer always has the final say on whether they feel able to care for each child referred to them.

Can I choose how long I want children and young people to stay with me?

As part of the assessment process, we will have discussed the different types of placements that are needed for our young people, and agreed where your skills lie in this respect. You can decide which types of placement would suit you best. If you would prefer emergency or short-term placements, you do need to be aware that it isn’t always possible to know at the beginning of a placement exactly when a child will move on.

Can I choose the gender and age of the children to foster?

Yes you can. Again, this will form part of the assessment done with you, and will differ from carer to carer based on your skills, experiences and preferences. As part of the assessment you will be recommended for a particular age range of young people. You will also complete, along with your assessing social worker, a ‘Matching Checklist’ which will specify in more detail particular presenting behaviours or that you do or do not feel equipped to deal with. However, you need to bear in mind that the majority of children referred to Independent Fostering Agencies are in the 11 + age group, and therefore if you are relying on income from fostering, you are far more likely to have continuous placements if you are willing to take teenagers as well as younger children.

We will ensure that you are happy with the recommendations that the Social Worker presents.

Who can apply to be a foster carer?

Anyone can apply to be a foster carer, providing they meet certain criteria listed here (link to ‘Who Can Be A Foster Carer?).

Do I have to be a home owner?

No you do not need to be a home owner. However, all young people need stability and security in their lives, and as such it is important that any prospective foster carers have the ability to offer this. Regardless of whether you own or rent your home the important issues with regard to fostering are:

Do I need any specific qualifications?

No. We don’t ask for qualifications to become a foster carer. Your life experiences and the qualities you have developed as a result are much more important. However, there are an increasing number of foster carers who wish to pursue the role as a profession, and as such Lorimer Foster Services actively promotes foster carers undertaking NVQ qualifications if they so wish.

I have a criminal record; will I be able to be a foster carer?

This would depend very much on the particular nature, circumstances and historical information about the offence. If you have ever been convicted of crimes against children then the answer is no. The assessment process will give you the opportunity to discuss any individual concerns you may have and it is important that you disclose any offences to us at this time. If you fail to inform us and our statutory checks bring an incident to light then you may be barred from fostering with our agency. However, minor offences which were committed a long time ago may not affect your application, therefore just because you may have a criminal record it doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t be considered.

Our advice would always be to tell us about any previous conviction before we undertake any checks.

Can I still go out to work and be a foster carer?

If you were an Approved Foster Carer for Lorimer Foster Services we would expect any child placed with you to be your first and over-riding concern, in the same way that it would be for your own birth child. In circumstances where your continued employment meant that this was not the case, we would not be able to place children with you. However, many people today are able to negotiate flexible working arrangements with their employers, or continue to work on a part-time basis to ensure that they are able to meet the needs of placed children whilst maintaining their employment.

Do I have to undergo an assessment?

Yes, everyone who wants to become a foster carer must participate in a full assessment (known as a Form F Assessment). Vulnerable children and young people will be coming to live in your home so Lorimer Foster Services has a duty to make sure that you can offer a safe and caring environment where children will feel welcomed, cared for and valued. For this reason we ask you to go through a process of preparation, during which we assess your abilities as a potential foster carer. This will include a number of interviews with your assessor, and attendance at ‘Skills To Foster’, a specialist preparatory training course.

The assessment process is not solely about establishing if you are ‘suitable foster carers’, it is just as much concerned with providing you with information.

The more information you are given, the better equipped you will be able to decide if, and what type of fostering is the right choice for you.

How long does the assessment process take?

This is dependant on your availability but our aim is to complete it within 4 months. It will be completed by a qualified and suitably experienced Social Worker. All information obtained about prospective foster carers is securely stored.

What training can I expect to receive?

All prospective foster carers attend preparation training which includes an understanding of the legal framework relating to looked after children, meeting young people’s care needs, working in partnership with birth families and professionals and the impact of fostering on themselves and their families. In addition, there is mandatory training in child protection, policies and procedures, caring for a young person who has experienced sexual abuse and safe care practices.
Other mandatory courses include Health & Safety, First Aid, Child Protection, Children Act, Record Keeping, Valuing Heritage & Identity and Managing Behaviour.

Approved carers will be encouraged to complete ‘NVQ 3 Looking after Children and Young People’ as part of their professional development.

What sort of support will I get if I’m finding it difficult to cope?

At Lorimer Foster Services we pride ourselves on the very high level of support we provide to all our Approved Foster Carers (link to Highlights Page). You will have your own allocated Lorimer Foster Services Social Worker and support will be available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We also have a team of Resource Workers who work with our carers and young people. Their use is on an assessed basis only; this means that a resource worker will come and take the children out on activities.

You will never be expected to cope on your own. In fact, we want and need you to tell us if you are having any problems at all so that we can help and support you and the young person with you.

How will fostering affect our own children?

When adults make a decision to become foster carers they also make the decision for their children to become part of a family that fosters. Fostering is a very significant change in anyone’s life, even more so for the children within the family.

Initially many children are very enthusiastic about the idea. During the course of the assessment, if they are of sufficient understanding, the Social Worker will talk to them about the idea of a foster child coming to stay with them. The age, understanding and views of your own children may be a contributory factor in recommending a particular age range of approval for you as a carer e.g. if you have a child of 15 yrs you may want to ensure that he remains the oldest child by a couple of years to avoid any issues of ‘competing’ between birth and foster children. It may therefore be wise to consider an approval range of 7-13 yrs.

It is often surprising how little time prospective foster carers spend discussing their idea to foster with their children. Our advice is to talk to them both before and regularly throughout the application process, and to make a point of having frequent discussions about how being a foster family may be affecting you all and how current problems or difficulties can be addressed. Don’t be surprised if children change from being very keen to foster, to hating it, and then back again, particularly in the early stages. For example, a child may have been looking forward to a new playmate that they could play football or other sports with, but then later find out that the foster child hates all sports and only wants to play computer games. This kind of disappointment can be quite hard on them. It is also important to remember to spend time with your own children.

How much will I get paid?

Lorimer Foster Services operate a ‘menu’ system of placement pricing which means that the individual fee charged to a local authority will be dependent on the exact nature of the young person referred to us, and their presenting behaviours, individual needs and placement history. This means that the carers’ payment will also vary from placement to placement, but will be between £355 and £530 per week. This figure is a combination of two components: an allowance for the costs incurred in looking after a foster child, and a professional fee.

In addition to this all carers will be entitled to a minimum of 2 weeks paid ‘holiday’ in the form of respite placements, and additional payments towards birthday presents and Christmas for all young people placed with you.

What do I need to do next?

1. Fill in the enquiry form (link to Enquiry Form) if you wish to receive an information pack and application form, or complete the Application Form which can be found HERE (link to Application Form).
2. On receipt of your completed application form you will be contacted by one of our Social Workers who will arrange a convenient time to visit you in your home.
3. This will enable us to answer any questions you may have and to explain the fostering process in greater detail. During this stage, if both you and Lorimer Foster Services agree to proceed then a Social Worker will be allocated to carry out a full assessment (Form F).
4. Lorimer Foster Services obtains references from:
   Police – CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) Enhanced disclosures are obtained on all members of the household aged 15 years and over and other regular adult visitors.
   Department of Health
   Social Services
   Other agencies e.g. NSPCC
5. You will be asked to provide a birth certificate, passport, driving licence and additional ID such as a utility bill to confirm your identity. Also marriage certificate/divorce papers may be needed where appropriate.
6. The applicant(s) is/are required to have a medical examination completed by their GP and the report is made available to Lorimer Foster Services’ Agency Medical Adviser for his comments about the applicant(s) health. The applicant(s) are asked to identify at least two personal referees, preferably four, who will provide written references and be interviewed as part of the assessment process.

The assessment process takes approximately 4 months and is completed by a qualified and suitably experienced Social Worker. All information obtained about prospective foster carers is held securely on file. On request some of this can be viewed. References from external agencies (Police, Social Services) and personal references, which are provided in confidence, cannot be accessed, due to confidentiality.

The assessment report is the Form F1 format published by the British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF), you may wish to visit their website at www.baaf.org.uk.