Fostering FAQ’s 

Children live with foster families for a variety of reasons, ranging from an unsafe home life which is effecting the welfare of the child, an illness in the family which means their usual caregiver is unable to look after them, the incarceration of their caregiver, or a family emergency such as an eviction. 

It is important to remember that whatever the circumstance, the child will be vulnerable as they will be facing separation from their birth family, and will need lots of love and support from their foster family. 

Our office is based in Bromsgrove, and we work across Worcestershire and with Local Authority partners across the West Midlands, including in Birmingham, Staffordshire, Dudley, Telford, Wrekin, Sandwell, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Solihull, Coventry and Warwickshire.  

Fostering means offering a temporary home to child, where you fulfil all of the usual responsibilities of a parent with the backing of your Supervising Social Worker and the Local Authority. Although you will care for the child as though they are your own son or daughter, legal responsibility for the child remains with their Local Authority.  

As a foster parent you will need to ask permission from the Local Authority to do certain things, such as change the child’s hairstyle or take them on holiday. As an adoptive parent, legal responsibility is transferred to you, and you will be responsible for making any and all decisions about your child’s life.  

Yes, all foster parents in the UK receive an allowance as a thank you for the incredible work they do in helping to transform children’s lives. Here at Clifford House we offer a generous fostering allowance as well as other financial benefits like a £100 annual birthday allowance for each child in your care and great activity days out for the whole family, paid for by our team.  

See how much you could earn with our Fostering Allowance Calculator! 

Yes, it is perfectly possible for you to foster while working. While many people choose to foster full-time, there are plenty of foster parents who work part-time and some even working full-time, who benefit from fostering friendly arrangements with their employers like working from home or enjoying flexi-time. The main thing to remember is the safety and wellbeing of the child must always come first. In short, having another job is feasible, but you must always prioritise providing a high level of care and commitment to the children in your care. There are also many types of fostering so no matter your work life balance, there is a type of fostering that can work for you and your family.  

No, you don’t need to own your home in order to foster. You can foster while renting, providing you have the approval of your landlord and a suitable spare bedroom.  

Sadly, you will be unable to foster if you don’t have a spare room which is suitable for a child. It is a requirement for all foster parents in the UK to be able to provide a child with a bedroom of their own so that they can enjoy their own space which offers privacy.  

To foster you must be over the age of 21, with the legal right to work in the UK and a spare room in your home. We do not discriminate based on gender, relationship status, religion, sexuality, culture, or any other factor. Learn more about who can foster.  

We do not consider anyone who has committed a violent or sexual offence to become a foster parent. However, minor run-ins with the law may not be a barrier to fostering depending on your unique circumstances. We’ll get to know your personal story when you speak with our team and can advise you personally.  

You also cannot foster if you have a pet dog who might be considered dangerous. This includes owning an American XL Bully and other breeds outlined in the 1997 Dangerous Dogs Act. 

To become a foster parent everyone in your home over the age of 18 will need to have a DBS check. You as a child’s foster parent will also undergo a Local Authority checks and a medical check at your doctors. There will also be a health and safety assessment of your home and your pets. We meet the costs of any checks that are required, so you do not have to pay for anything. We will also get personal and work references, and may require references from previous romantic partners.  

The fostering assessment typically takes between 4-6 months. This may seem like a long time, but it’s essential in order for us to really get to know you and your family and to ensure you receive our very best therapeutically-informed training. 

Once you’ve had an initial chat with us over the phone and we’ve visited you at home either in person or via video call, we’ll supply you with an application pack which you can complete in your own time and return to us. And that’s it– you’re on your way to becoming a foster parent!