Assessment Process

The assessment is a study of you and your family. We will visit you over a period of possibly between four and six months to discuss various aspects of your life with you, all such discussions will be confidential between you and your social worker. We will ask you to provide the names of at least 2 people who will be prepared to provide references for you and we will also want professional references from your employers and possibly your children’s school. To ensure you are in good health you will be asked to have a medical. Checks with your Local Authority, Criminal Record Bureau checks, including Independent Safeguarding Authority checks are undertaken as a matter of course.

You will be supported all the way through the process by a Fosterplus Supervising Social Worker dedicated to ensuring you have the best preparation. You and your immediate family will be invited to take part in our Introduction to Fostering Residential Training Weekend, for prospective carers in England,  where along with learning more about the role of a foster carer you will have the opportunity to meet other prospective foster carers.

After your social worker has completed the assessment with you the final stage in the process will be to attend our Panel. This is a group of both Fosterplus staff and independent Panel Members who will look at the assessment and agree or otherwise your application.

Once the final decision has been reached about your approval it will be the responsibility of Fosterplus to ensure that any child that comes into your family is suitably matched to make the placement as successful as possible.