Mumsnet Questions: What should I expect from my first home visit with the social worker?

So, you’ve expressed your interest to become a foster carer and passed the initial call. But what happens next?

The next stage in the process of becoming a foster carer is for a social worker to visit your home to talk you through the next stages to becoming a foster carer. It should be a candid view of what fostering is where you will be able to find out what will be expected of you as a carer and the sort of young people you would be expected to care for.

One of the most significant parts to becoming a carer is the assessment process and the visit is a chance for us to talk you through this from beginning to end and talk you through the training that you will be given. The social worker will also go over any paperwork and logbooks that will need to be filled out during the process of becoming a foster carer and once you have become a carer as well. Be given a candid view of what fostering view. They then take a look at the spare room that you plan on using for fostering and talk you through the financial allowances that fostering offers.

Once they’ve taken you through everything that will be expected from you, they will then talk about how the team at your agency can help you and support you during your time as a foster carer through training sessions and carer support groups. Most importantly though, it is a chance for you to ask any questions that you may have and to get as much detail as you need about fostering and the foster carer assessment process.

Read more about the process of becoming a foster carer on our ‘New to Foster Care‘ page.