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
What is an EHC Plan? 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
Movies About Foster Care
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
The first question people generally ask when thinking of becoming a foster carer is, “Can I foster?”. So we created this guide to answer some of the most commonly asked questions we recieve about fostering.
Firstly, there are three basic eligibility factors that are essential for becoming a foster carer, in addition to providing a safe and loving home for your foster child.
These are the main points of consideration when applying to become a foster carer. However, there are other eligibility factors to consider which can be found in our guide to foster care requirements.
Your marital status won’t affect your ability to foster a child, you can foster a child if you’re single, or as a couple. What matters most in foster care is the foster carer’s ability to provide a safe, loving and stable environment for the child.
Yes, you can become a foster carer if you’re divorced. If you’re going through a divorce while you’re fostering, your change of circumstances will need to be assessed to make sure that it doesn’t affect your ability to carry out your duties as a foster carer. To find out more read our guide on what happens if foster parents get divorced.
Yes, absolutely. You can foster if you already have children living in your home, as long as you have adequate space. In fact, having a stable family environment with other children can be seen as an advantage as they may benefit from interaction with other children. For more information, read our guide on how to navigate the impact of fostering if you already have children.
Being part of the LGBTQ+ community does not disqualify you from becoming a foster parent. Here at Capstone, we’re proud that equality, inclusion and anti-discriminatory practice is at the core of what we do. We recognise that diverse families can provide loving and stable homes for children and young people.
While fostering is a career in itself, you can potentially still work and foster, depending on your circumstances. There are a number of different elements to consider including the type of foster care you’ll be providing. How flexible and supportive your employer is. The level of childcare support you have and of course, the needs of your foster child.
Want to learn more about fostering whilst working? Visit 'Can I Foster and Work?'
Yes, you can foster if you have no experience working with children. While experience with children can be beneficial, there are plenty of other qualities and skills that can contribute to you becoming a successful foster carer. Not only this, but, as a foster carer with Capstone Foster Care, you’ll have access to a wealth of support and training to prepare you for life as a foster parent.
Yes, you can foster if you are on benefits. Although, it may affect the benefits you’re entitled to depending on which benefits you qualify for, as you are paid a fostering allowance.
For more information, read our guide on fostering if you’re on benefits.
Becoming a foster parent as someone who rents their property won’t affect your ability to become a foster parent as long as you are able to provide space and stability.
Want to leanr more about fostering while renting? Read our dedicated guide.
Owning a pet does not automatically disqualify you from becoming a foster carer. However, we will assess the compatibility of your pet with your foster child’s needs. For example, we’ll need to ensure that your pet is well-behaved, friendly and not aggressive towards children.
Want to learn more about fostering and pets? Visit 'Can I Foster if I have Pets?'
Technically you can foster if you don’t drive, but you may be asked to prove you have good public transport links in order to be able to attend any meetings or to keep up with the needs of your foster child.
A criminal record does not necessarily mean you’ll be unable to become a foster carer. However, there are a number of different factors that will be assessed during your application process. Such as the nature and circumstance of the crime and how long ago the crime was committed.
Want to learn more about fostering with a criminal record? Visit 'Can you Foster with a Criminal Record?'
While having a history of social services involvement may present a challenge when applying to become a foster carer, it may not automatically preclude you from becoming a foster parent. The best interests of the child will be the primary consideration, and you’ll be assessed for the reasons behind your previous involvement. You will also need to provide evidence of your personal growth and development, your stability and readiness to provide a nurturing environment for a foster child.
If you do have a restraining order against someone, it could affect the approval process of your application to foster, depending on the risk to your foster child’s safety which is likely to be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
You do not need to be a UK citizen to become a foster carer, but you do need to be a full time resident of the UK with indefinite leave to remain.
A medical condition or disability should not affect your ability to become a foster carer, as long as your medical condition or disability does not affect your ability to care for your foster child.
To learn more about fostering with a disability, visit 'Can I Foster if I'm Disabled?'.
Yes, you can foster a child while undergoing counselling or therapy. It is important to note that if there has been a change in your circumstances that results in you needing counselling or therapy, you should contact your social worker who may need to re-assess your emotional and psychological readiness to foster. In some cases, undergoing counselling and therapy can make therapeutic fostering, like MATTs (Multi-Disciplinary Assessment Treatment & Therapy Service) a good option. MATTs involve working with children who have experienced trauma or have behavioural or emotional challenges, and having a foster parent who has experienced counselling or therapy can make for a more empathetic experience.
Yes, you can become a foster carer if you have a history of anxiety or depression. However, you will be assessed to make sure you are well enough to provide your foster child with the care that they need. And, if there are any changes in your mental health, it’s important you speak to your social worker.
There’s no upper age limit for becoming a foster carer, in fact some of our foster parents are in their 70s. As long as you a fit and well and can provide a stable and loving home, you cannot be too old to foster.
Here at Capstone, you must be a minimum of 21 years old to be a foster carer.
Absolutely, you can foster if you belong to a specific religious or cultural group.
For more information, visit 'Fostering and Religion'.
Yes, you can foster a child of a different race or cultural background to your foster child. It is important that you are able to provide support and respect the cultural identities of the children in your care as well as having the willingness to be culturally sensitive and engage in ongoing learning about your foster child’s culture and experiences.
While we will always endeavour to ensure that a child is matched with a family that they are able to communicate with. Rarely there will be emergency scenarios where there may not be an available foster family that speaks the same language as a foster child. In this scenario, they may be matched with a family that does not speak the same language as them.
If you’re ready to begin your fostering journey, you can learn more about the application process here. If you’re considering fostering or asking the question “Can I foster?” and need more information, contact our team who will be happy to answer any questions you might have.
One of our carers, Ian from Somerset, had been thinking about fostering for over three years before he felt it was the right time to start fostering. He said:
“I have a dog and thought, can I foster if I have a dog? I am also over 50, so I thought I may be too old to foster. I was also confused about whether or not I could carry on working if I foster as there is so much conflicting information on the internet. What I found is that I didn’t just have one question, I had many. So, I gave Capstone a call. It was the best decision I’ve made, as they tailored their advice to my circumstances. I’ve now been fostering for 8 months, and I have a 9 year old boy who I look after. I’d encourage anyone who is wondering ‘can I foster’ to call Capstone and find out if you can foster too.”
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.