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
In most circumstances, yes – you can take foster children on holiday. Holidays are an important part of work-life balance, creating personal and family memories while introducing children to educational, historic and cultural aspects of other countries.
And not only are foster children allowed to holiday, but it’s actively encouraged that they do. Unsure of the logistics and regulations behind foster care holidays? Find out everything you need to from our detailed guide.
As stated in the Fostering National Minimum Standards, “children can stay overnight, holiday with friends, or friends and relatives of their foster carer, go on school trips, subject to requirements of the care/placement plan, if foster carers consider it appropriate in individual circumstances.”
This means that you are allowed to take your foster child on holiday with you, as long as the child’s individual circumstances are considered. When a child comes to live with you, you’ll be informed if there is any health and safety reason, or otherwise, as to why they cannot go on holiday, but you should know this at the beginning.
Of course, it’s important to consult your social worker of any holiday plans – and you can plan together the best way for this holiday to take place. This should be your first port of call when holiday planning. Your social worker will be able to offer support and advice on taking your foster child on holiday, including support with the relevant paperwork required.
The same rules apply for taking foster children out of school during term time as they do all other children. The government have tightened their rules on removing children during school time for holidays to mean they are only allowed under “extreme circumstances”.
This could be circumstances such as visiting a seriously ill family member or attending a funeral. If children are taken on holiday during term time, the foster parents are likely to receive a fine for this. Learn more about school attendance and absence from GOV.UK.
One of the most well-known foster care requirements is that the child has their own bedroom. However, does this also apply to when you’re holidaying, too?
The first thing you’d need to do is discuss this with your social worker. It may be that the accommodation for the holiday you have chosen is a family apartment which requires the children to share rooms – however, the social worker will be able to advise you as to whether this is feasible with your foster child.
It may be that there is a holiday home or caravan that is holidayed in regularly, which could become problematic if abiding strictly by the ‘own bedroom’ policy. However, it comes down to the individual and their needs – so this needs to be discussed at length with a social worker to find a potential workaround.
The same principles remain in the sense that you’ll need written permission from your social worker, and you can’t take your foster child on holiday during term time – but the pandemic will naturally have some impact on where you can take your child on holiday.
If you and your family have been vaccinated (normally with 2 doses and a booster jab), this will allow you to holiday to most places. However, if your foster child and family have not received the vaccination and boosters, this could mean travelling could be more difficult. For information on vaccinations, and how this could impact taking your foster child on holiday, speak with your social worker and keep up to date with the latest travel restrictions from GOV.UK.
Remember, before you book, ensure you have written confirmation from your social worker allowing the foster child to go on the holiday.
Holidaying with the whole family and your foster child(ren) can be extremely fulfilling and a great way to unwind from daily life. However, it’s important to remember you are allowed to take a break from your full-time role as a foster carer when needed. Find out more about our respite foster care options in order for you to fully relax and recuperate, too, as well as provide the child with benefits similar to those they’d receive from staying with a grandparent.
For more information about foster care holidays, get in touch with a member of our expert team.
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.
