Becoming a Foster Carer

Fostering Solutions is an independent foster care agency, based in the United Kingdom. We are committed to ensuring the children and young people in our care thrive.

There are thousands of children requiring foster care across the United Kingdom and Fostering Solutions aims to help reduce this foster care shortage. We recruit, assess, train and support our Foster Carers to provide high quality foster care placements. Our Carers really make a difference to a young person’s life.

Fostering Solutions staff provide local support for Foster Carers from regional offices across the UK in the North West, North East, Yorkshire, Midlands (including East Anglia) and the South of England in addition to Wales and Scotland.

Who can foster?

Being able to foster isn’t about whether you’re single, married, gay, lesbian, heterosexual, divorced or cohabiting. It isn’t about whether or not you already have children, or what your religious beliefs and practices are.

Fostering is about being able to respond to a child and helping them thrive.

In order for us to ensure that the children and young people are safe and secure however it is very important that our Foster Carers meet a number of requirements.

Do you meet the requirements to become a Foster Carer?

• Applicants must have life experience and be over the age of 21. There is no upper age limit and as long as you’re fit and healthy you may apply.


• All applicants require a good level of spoken and written English.


• You must have a spare bedroom at the time of application. If you are having an extension or plan to convert the attic, this work must be done before you apply.


• We don’t ask for qualifications to become a Foster Carer – your life experiences, parenting skills and the qualities you have developed as a result are equally important.


• If you have lived overseas, it will be necessary to undertake statutory checks in the country where you resided.


• If you have been convicted of certain offences including violence or crimes against children you will not be able to foster. However, other minor offences may not affect your application. You will need to disclose any convictions during the assessment process. If you do not disclose something which subsequently comes to light, your assessment with Fostering Solutions maybe closed and you may be unable to proceed any further.


• In order to assess your skills to foster, it is vital you are honest and open. The assessment process is very thorough and you’ll be asked about many different aspects of your life.

If you do meet the criteria why not fill out our online application and see if you could help a child by becoming a foster carer.

What is the financial support?

You will receive a generous weekly payment, with substantial tax free allowances, whilst you have children/young people in your care. You will also receive two weeks paid respite per year

Become a foster carer in England

Become a foster carer in Wales

Become a foster carer in Scotland

"Can I Foster - Events"

What is my involvement?

Fostering is challenging and takes a lot of time, commitment and patience. The children and
young people placed with Foster Carers are from a diverse range of backgrounds and will display different behaviours depending upon their life experiences.

Many have been faced with adversity and uncertainty throughout their short lives and may have also experienced neglect or abuse. All are different, making it difficult to define a ‘typical child’. However, what you can expect is that, as with any child or young person, they need security, stability and the chance to develop and thrive. Our Foster Carers do just that.