Fostering a disabled child
The role of an independent fostering agency
What support is available for foster carers?
How to choose a foster care agency
Foster Care Fortnight: How to raise awareness about children in foster care
Can I choose who I foster?
How to foster
What are the benefits of fostering with an independent fostering agency?
What happens when a child is taken into care?
Fostering process: what happens on an initial home visit?
Can you foster if you have mental health issues?
Fostering with local authority vs independent agency
Interview: Life as a foster parent during the pandemic
A complete guide to becoming a foster carer
How Are Children in Foster Care Matched with Carers?
Foster Care Budgeting Tips
Becoming A Foster Carer
Benefits of becoming a foster parent
What is a Care Leaver?
What is a Foster Carer?
What is Foster Care?
Do I become a Foster Carer?
Fostering Regulations
How much do Foster Parents get paid?
How to Foster a Child
How long does it take to become a Foster Carer?
How to foster – everything you ever wanted to know
Facts about Foster Care
What are the Foster Care requirements?
Foster Care Handbook
Foster Carer Job Description
Changing IFA - Transferring to Capstone
Fostering Definition
Foster Care Statistics
What does Every Child Matters Mean for Foster Parents?
Fostering Stories
Fostering Children UK
Children needing Fostering
8 reasons why a child may be taken into care
Fostering as a Career
Looked after Children
Can you foster if you smoke or vape?
A guide to fostering assessments
LGBTQ+ Fostering
Equality, Inclusion & Anti-discriminatory Practice in Foster Care
What can disqualify you from foster care?
Can you foster if you’re on benefits?
Top transferable job skills to become a foster carer
Fostering as a same sex couple
Fostering while renting
Is there an age limit for fostering in the UK?
Do foster carers get a pension?
How to foster a child: A step by step guide
How do DBS Checks Work?
Can I foster if...?
Mythbusting the top 10 Foster Care Myths
Can I foster if I am disabled?
LGBT Fostering Mythbusting
Can I foster if I have pets?
Can I Foster A Child?
Can I Foster and Work?
Can you Foster with a Criminal Record
Can Single People Foster?
LGBT Family and Foster Care
Fostering across Cultures
Muslim Fostering
Christian Foster Care
Sikh Fostering
Empty Nest Syndrome and Foster Care
Can I Foster?
Fostering Babies and Young Children
Fostering Babies - Myths
Focusing on Parent & Child Fostering
Fostering Siblings
Fostering Teenagers
Fostering Teenagers - Breaking down the Myths
Fostering Unaccompanied and Asylum Seeking Children
Mother and Baby Foster Placements
Private Fostering
Therapeutic Fostering - Multi-disciplinary Assessment Treatment & Therapy Service (MATTS)
Young Children Fostering Placements
Difference between short and long-term fostering
Reunification and Birth Parents: A Guide for Foster Carers
How to prepare a child for becoming a care leaver
Children who foster: impact of fostering on birth children
Fostering LGBTQ+ Youth
How to prepare your home for a foster child
How to help a lonely child: A Guide for Foster Carers
What are the National Minimum Standards for Fostering Services?
10 tips for foster children's education
How to prepare your foster child for secondary school
Tips for coping when foster placements end
Tips for foster parents during Coronavirus
What happens if foster parents get divorced?
5 ways to manage Mother's Day with foster children
Tips for managing foster children's bedtime routines
How to handle foster child bullying
Fostering allowances and the gender pay gap
What discounts can foster carers get?
How to adopt from Foster Care
5 ways to manage Father's Day for children in foster care
8 most common fostering challenges
FosterTalk Membership with Capstone Foster Care
Supporting foster children's contact with birth families
A guide to independent fostering
Keeping Children Safe Online: A Guide For Foster Carers
Foster Care in TV and Film
Play-based learning strategies for foster carers
A Guide to the Staying Put Program
How to deal with empty nest syndrome
How to recognise signs of depression in foster children
Can you take a foster child on holiday?
Tips and advice on fostering with a disability
10 tips on connecting with your Foster Child
Fostering vs Adoption - What's the difference?
How Fostering can change a future
How to adopt from Foster Care
How to encourage children to read in Foster Care
How to prepare a Foster Child's bedroom
Reading and Storytelling with Babies and Young Children
Supporting Children's Learning
The 20 most recommended books Foster Carers and young people should read
Things you can do when your children leave home
The impact of early childhood traumas on adolescence and adulthood
Anxious Disorders in Foster Children
What is sexual abuse and sexual violence
Foster Child behaviour management strategies
Foster Parent Advice: What to expect in your first year of fostering
Capstone's twelve tips at Christmas
10 celebrities who grew up in Foster Care
Celebrating our Children and Young People
Could Millenials be the solution to the Foster Care crisis?
Do you work in Emergency Services?
Form F Assessor and Assessment Training
Foster Care Fortnight
Improving Children's Welfare - Celebrating Universal Children's Day
It's time to talk about Mental Health and Foster Care
New Year - New Career - Become a Foster Carer
Promoting the rights and wellbeing of persons with Disabilities
Refugee Week
Young people and Mental Health in a changing world
Young People Charities
When deciding whether fostering is the right path for you, you may have various questions around the child you will be fostering, and what level of choice you have. We’ve put together these FAQs around choosing foster children which may help answer your question.
However, if your question has still been unanswered, either visit our dedicated fostering FAQs page or get in touch with a member of our team today.
There is a diverse range of children in the foster care system who need support and a secure, loving environment. Not only do these children vary in age, but they also vary in ethnicity, race and religion, too. Many young people in care are over the age of 10 years.
All of our foster carers are approved from either birth to 18 years old, or from 5 years old to 18 years old – as well as being approved for caring for both genders. However, if you do have a preferred age range you would like to care for, this can be taken into account.
Having a preferred age range could be due to various family circumstances – but it’s important to note, if you only receive a fostering payment when you have a child/ren in placement with you, it’s more beneficial to be open to a wide range of ages. Specific age ranges may be limited which is determined by the referrals received from the local authority – meaning it’s likely that carers who specify they would like a younger child may have to wait longer for a suitable placement than a carer who is open to all ages.
Yes – you are able to foster more than one child at a time. You can do this either by fostering sibling groups – which looks to place children from the same biological family with the same foster family to alleviate trauma, create consistency and increase comfort to children in the care system.
You are also able to have more than one foster placement simultaneously. This is quite common for foster parents to partake in – however, it’s important to note that assessments will need to be undertaken to ensure that the existing child in your care will cope well with a new child entering the environment, and vice versa.
It’s also worth noting that it’s possible to foster a child alongside your own biological children – but, again, assessments will need to be carried out to ensure the fit is applicable for everyone.
Here at Capstone Foster Care, we try to ensure that cultures and religions of our foster children and carers are matched as well as possible to adhere to cultural values and religious beliefs. However, with a diverse range of foster children, foster parents should be prepared to foster a child of any race, religion or ethnicity. Learn more about cultural diversity with foster care from our guide.
When it comes to placing a child with a foster family, we look at a range of criteria to ensure we are creating the perfect match. Some of the types of criteria that are considered include:
However, the most important attribute when looking to match a child with a carer is ensuring the needs of the child and your experience is appropriate – so we are delivering the best level of care possible for the young person in care.
The length of time a child will stay with you depends entirely on their individual circumstances, and what type of fostering placement this would be. For example, an emergency foster placement can last days, whereas a long term foster placement could last years. Here at Capstone, we do our best to ensure we help you decide what is the right type of fostering placement for you.
Ready to learn more about how to become a foster carer? Our friendly team of experts are always on hand to help.
If you’ve got any questions or would like to find out more about fostering with Capstone, fill out the form below.
An experienced fostering advisor from your local area will then be in touch.
Start the conversation today. Our team of friendly advisors are on hand to answer any foster care questions you may have. We can offer you honest and practical advice that can help you decide if becoming a foster carer is the right path for you.
