While fostering is undoubtedly a challenging role, it is also incredibly rewarding, providing an opportunity to make a lasting difference in the lives of vulnerable children and young people.
As a foster carer, you have a unique opportunity to provide stability and support to a child during a critical time in their life. Many foster carers develop lifelong connections with the children they care for, and learn a lot about themselves along the way!
Footprints will be there at every step to provide support and training.
Fostering welcomes people from all walks of life, regardless of relationship status, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. You don’t need specific qualifications to become a foster carer in the UK, but there are a few essential criteria:
Age: You must be over 21 years old
Accommodation: You need a spare bedroom for the child
Commitment: Be able to provide stability and care
Health: Be in good physical and mental health
Background: Pass an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
Foster carers receive a weekly allowance per child to cover expenses such as food, clothing, transportation, and activities. The minimum allowance set by the government in England ranges from £137 to £240 per week per child, depending on the child’s age and location.
Many foster carers also receive a professional fee on top of the allowance, especially when fostering through an independent fostering agency (IFA) like Footprints, or for specialised roles. Fees can vary widely:
• Carers with independent fostering agencies may earn between £450 and £1,000 per week per child, depending on the child’s needs and the level of care provided
• Specialised fostering (e.g., parent-and-child placements or therapeutic fostering) typically offers higher payments
As an independent fostering agency, Footprints is able to offer a competitive fostering allowance of up to £500 per child per week, depending on the needs of the children.
Becoming a foster carer involves several key steps and typically takes 4–6 months, with support from our team provided throughout.
Independent fostering agencies (IFAs) like Footprints often provide enhanced support and resources compared to local authorities (read our comparison guide to IFAs and local authorities for more information).
IFAs work collaboratively with local authorities to place children in the most suitable homes.
• Comprehensive training tailored to your needs
• 24/7 support from dedicated social workers
• Festival and birthday allowances
• Membership of FosterTalk
• Regular updates with social worker
• Staff stability for continuity of service
• Knowledge of local resources and services
• Monthly support groups to develop links
• Skills training in key aspects of fostering
• Competitive allowances to support you financially
Fostering comes in various forms to meet the needs of children.
Choosing the right type depends on your skills, experience, and personal circumstances. Speak to our team to find the best option for you.
Short-term fostering means giving a child or young person a safe, secure, nurturing, and loving home to live in until they can return to their own family.
Long-term fostering means giving children and young people who will not be returning to their birth families a safe, secure, caring and loving home they can call their own to thrive in.
Respite fostering provides short-term care for children and young people, giving their full-time foster carers or families a temporary break.
Solo fostering is a specialised form of fostering where a child or young person is placed in a household as the only foster child.
Fostering siblings is a pivotal practice within the UK's fostering community, and aims to preserve the bond shared by brothers and sisters during the challenges of a disrupted family environment.
Parent and child fostering involves providing a safe and supportive environment for both a parent and their child, often a mother and baby, to learn essential parenting skills and bond while receiving guidance and support from experienced foster carers.
Footprints Foster Care Ltd
Registered Company No 07879639
Longham Business Park
168 Ringwood Road
Ferndown
Dorset BH22 9BU
Please do not be anxious about contacting us
– we promise not to put you under any pressure. We are happy to answer your questions and we need to ask questions to make sure that you meet some basic criteria, such as do you have a spare bedroom and live in the right area?
Assuming that these basic criteria are met and you are happy to proceed, we will arrange to come and meet you at your home.
The home visit usually lasts 1-2 hours and gives both parties the chance to ask lots of questions. We find out more about you and you find out more about us and what we can offer. If everyone is happy to proceed you will be given an application form to complete.
If however, having found out more about fostering, you decide that you do not wish to proceed, then do not feel embarrassed to say so. We will also be honest and let you know if we do not feel it is in your interests to proceed.
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If you decide to proceed, you will complete an application form and go into the assessment process. This can take between 3–6 months and is undertaken by a qualified social worker.
It is a thorough process and one which helps people understand what has shaped their lives, prepares them for the challenge of fostering and determines their motivation to foster. As part of this process, we will also undertake statutory checks and personal references, including police checks, personal and employment references and medicals.
The social worker will also meet with your personal referees, members of your household and any adult children you have living away from home to ensure they fully support your intentions to foster.
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During the assessment period, you will have the opportunity to attend the Skills to Foster™ course that provides the foundation for future learning and development, as well as giving you the confidence to undertake your first placement.
You will also be required to complete a portfolio of evidence to support your assessment.
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After stage 3 has been completed, your assessment and portfolio will be presented to a Fostering Panel. The panel is made of experienced social work practitioners and independent members, who will have carefully considered the report in advance of the panel.
You and your assessor will both attend the fostering panel to enable panel members to meet you, address any points for clarification and hear any final questions you may have.
If the panel is satisfied the requirements regarding your suitability to foster are met, they will make a recommendation to approve you as a foster carer.
The ultimate decision to approve lies with the agency decision maker, who will carefully consider the recommendation made by the fostering panel.
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