Frequently asked questions | Barnsley Council Online

Article: Frequently asked questions

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We find that there are some questions people always ask about fostering so we've included them here. Hopefully, you'll find these helpful, but if you have other questions, or what we've answered doesn't give you enough information, please contact us and we'll be glad to discuss your particular queries.

Do I have to foster any child who needs to be fostered?

No. During your assessment, you will discuss the kind of fostering you are able to offer, the age group and number of children. You and the social worker will consider together what will work best for you and your family, and what skills and experience you can offer for different children or types of foster care.

How long do children stay?

This will depend on the kind of fostering you are able or wish to offer.

How long children stay in foster care depends on their needs. Emergency foster placements are usually for a couple of days or a couple of weeks. Short term foster care can last from days to over a year.

Long term or permanent placements are made to last until the young person is able to live independently - though at 18 they will be an adult, we continue to have responsibilities to support care leavers after this age and hope that permanent carers will be able to provide a base while they need it.

Am I too old or too young to foster?

The minimum age to foster is 21 years. There is no upper limit, but you do need to be fit and healthy enough with sufficient energy to meet the responsibilities to children or young people in your care, and to manage the pressures involved.

Do I have to own my own home?

No, you may own your home or rent your home. Your home does need to have enough room for any children you foster, and it is preferable if there is a separate bedroom for fostered children, especially older children who need more privacy and space. Our Care Plus Scheme for fostering does require a separate bedroom to be provided for children or young people.

Do I have to be married?

No - we consider all applicants equally regardless of whether they are single, married, cohabiting, heterosexual, gay or lesbian. What matters, whether you are single or in a relationship, is that you can offer stability and care to a fostered child.

Do I have to have children of my own?

No, you do not have to have children of your own. You do need to have some experience of what is involved in caring for children, because you need to show that you can understand the needs of children. This experience could come from involvement in your wider family with nieces or nephews perhaps, from your work experience or from experience with different kinds of children's groups - football, church groups. guides etc.

Will smoking mean I can't foster?

Smoking does not stop you becoming a foster carer but it would restrict the age group of children you can foster. Barnsley's policy in this respect is based on up to date government health advice about the impact of smoking on children. This means that children under the age of five, or children who have specific health needs or disabilities cannot be placed with people who smoke.

We would also need to know that you do not smoke in front of children or young people, and that you would never encourage a young person to smoke.

Can I foster if I work full-time?

You may be able to foster, but your working hours may restrict the age of child and the type of fostering you can do.

You may find that respite or short break fostering would suit you best. This is where a child comes on a regular basis, perhaps once a month, and this gives the family and child a break which can make all the difference to them managing stresses at home.

For families with disabled children, short break care can give the kind of break which helps parents to recharge their batteries, and can give them a chance to devote special time to other children in their family, with peace of mind that the foster carers are giving good, safe and enjoyable care for their child.

Full time working might suit some permanent fostering arrangements - your commitments and the capacity for flexibility in work arrangements would have to be carefully considered to ensure that there was a match with the needs of the child to be placed with you. For instance, we would need to know that you could provide appropriate care for children during school holidays, or if they were ill and unable to go to school for a time.

Will past offences mean I can't foster?

People who have past criminal convictions or cautions can foster. What is considered is the seriousness of the offence, when it occurred, and how you have lived your life since it occurred.

You will be asked to declare any conviction or caution when you apply. If you have a conviction for offences against children, you will not be able to foster.

Will having a disability or health problem stop me from fostering?

This will depend on how this would affect your capacity to give a child the care they need. All applicants to foster will have a medical as part of the checks which are made, and we would always consider the GP's views. We have a responsibility to you as well as to children who are fostered so it would be important to consider the potential impact of fostering on you also.

Please contact us to discuss your own circumstances at an early stage and we will be able to advise you better.

Do I need to have qualifications?

No. You do need to have a genuine interest in and commitment to helping a child by offering them stability, safety and a really good standard of care. There are qualities which will help you a lot - good humour, patience, resilience, and being able to enjoy caring for children, with all its ups and downs.

Some more vulnerable children will need carers with specific skills. Our Care Plus Scheme asks for a background of experience or skills which may come from work experience in a child care setting.

We will always consider the match between the child and their needs, and the skills of the foster carer before making any placement.

Can fostering lead to adoption?

Adoption and fostering are very different. Adoption is about permanence for the child. Fostering is about looking after someone else's child, and parental responsibility is shared between the local authority and the child's parents.

All children in foster care have care plans which reflect their needs, including long term needs. If the plan is for the child to be adopted, a suitable adoptive family will be sought. Though sometimes foster carers go on to adopt children, this is never an automatic outcome.

Will there be contact with the child's family?

Most children in foster care will have regular contact with their own families - even where the circumstances of coming into foster care have been very difficult, most children both need and want to keep in contact with their parents and other members of their families. Though there can be difficulties when children see parents, and face a lot of distress by leaving them again, experience shows clearly that contact with family is something that helps most children and contributes to stability of foster placements, even if children cannot return home.

Foster carers need to positively support the child's experience of contact. Carers are given support and training to help them in their role of facilitating and supporting children's links with their families.

Do all fostered children have difficult behaviour?

No, but all children who are placed in foster care experience the impact of separation and loss, and they may also have experienced the trauma of abuse as part of the reason for coming into foster care. Each child will react differently and show distress in different ways. Some may be aggressive and defiant; others may be withdrawn and over-compliant.

Some children are very deeply affected by the difficult experiences they have had and they will need a lot of patient and committed help to manage their feelings and behaviour. Foster carers are given support and training to help them to help children, and this will sometimes mean foster carers will work with staff from specialist agencies.

All foster carers must sign an agreement that they will not use any form of physical chastisement, or sanctions which humiliate a child or young person in their care. Training and support focuses on positive discipline as a means of helping children to learn productive ways of managing the feelings which lead to difficult behaviour.

Will I get paid?

A weekly allowance is paid to cover living costs for the foster child. We pay allowances at the rate recommended by Fostering Network, which is the national organisation for foster carers.

As carers develop their skills through experience and training, they are eligible for our Payment for Skills scheme which offers a fee - additional to the allowance - dependent upon the carer's level on the scheme.

Our Care Plus fostering scheme is fee paid from the start of taking placements.

Go to the payments page to find out more about allowances and fees.

What support can I expect?

Foster carers all have their own social worker from the Fostering Team who offers support and supervision. There are local support groups, and an independent foster care association group. We encourage mentoring and support links between carers. Regular training opportunities are offered. Go to the Support for Carers page for more information .

How long does it take to become a foster carer - what is involved?

Our aim is that the process should take approximately six months from making an application to approval by Barnsley Fostering Panel. This can vary - the process is one which will give you plenty of time to consider what fostering will mean for you, and what the potential impact on your family will be.

The social worker from the Fostering Team will visit you on several occasions. They will want to talk with everyone who lives in your home, and also with grown up children who have left home. You will also need to attend preparation training where the trainers are social workers from the fostering team and foster carers.

The aim of the whole process is that you know what will be involved in fostering and that we can fully assess your suitability to foster, and what you will be able to offer children who live with you. A report is then prepared for Barnsley Fostering Panel which will make a recommendation regarding approval to the department.

How do I apply?

Phone us on 01226 775876 or email us at fostering@barnsley.gov.uk giving us your contact details and we will phone you at a time convenient to you.