Become a Foster Parent Medway Kent
Become a foster parentThe first step is to apply for a copy of our Introduction to Fostering brochure, which should give you a good general overview of fostering and a better feel for us as an organisation.
If you like what you read in our Introduction to Fostering brochure and want to find out more, the next step would be scheduling a home visit, which is a chance for us to give you some more information and ask any questions you have.
If you are keen to proceed after meeting with us, we would invite you to complete an application form. From receipt of the completed application form to approval to foster takes, on average, 4-5 months with us as we have a great team who will help you through the process step by step.
During that time, there would be training to complete, including our “Skills to Foster” course, we would undertake checks including a DBS (police check) and gain references – all with your consent. An assessor would be allocated and would visit you several times. It is their job to find all of the skills and qualities that you possess that will make you a great foster parent, and understand anything that you may need more support with too. They will want to understand what has made you into the person you are today, including any significant life events, good and bad. We aren’t looking for perfect people who have lived perfect lives, often the difficulties you have faced and the mistakes that you have made are what give you many of the qualities that we seek such as resilience, empathy and understanding. Your assessor will populate a “form F” report showcasing you as a family. When your assessment period is complete, all of this information will be brought together and presented to our fostering panel.
Our fostering panel chair is care experienced and our fostering panel is made up of individuals each with expertise or experience in their own areas such as health, education or social work. The panel receives your Form F, as well as your training record, checks and references. You are invited to speak with a panel that decides whether to recommend you for approval to foster.
We would never send a family to a panel who we did not think would make an amazing foster family and it is our responsibility to provide enough evidence of this to be confident that the panel would agree.