We sat down with several of our foster carers to give you some fantastic insight into the foster carer assessment process and what to expect along the way.
Each foster carer was asked six questions to help you prepare for becoming a foster carer yourself and moving smoothly through the process.
How does it feel to go through the initial assessment process, where Social Workers visit to get to know more about you?
Many people feel daunted by the prospect of being asked questions about their personal situation and lifestyle, but there’s nothing to worry about as our social workers are working to find out the best way forward for both you and any prospective children placed in your care in future. The initial assessment should be viewed as an exciting time, taking you closer to potentially fostering a young person and an opportunity to ask further questions yourself.
It’s totally normal to feel a whole range of feelings at this stage, a point echoed by the foster carers we interviewed for this article. Tanya, who has been carer with Time Out Fostering since 2018, recalls feeling an array of feelings, saying she was a mix of “excited, apprehensive, nervous and doubtful”. This was echoed by Dawn, who also felt “nervous but excited” and Diane, who said “we felt apprehensive and hoped that we would be good enough to be accepted”.
Another of our foster carers, Alysha, said she felt: “comfortable, informed, listened to and signposted” – which perfectly highlights that while you may feel nervous, our social workers are highly supportive and skilled in guiding you through every step of the way.
Kathy’s experience of being assessed as a foster carer by Time Out was also one of feeling at ease, from the very beginning: “We had a wonderful social worker assessing us who put us at ease from the outset. Although we felt apprehensive, we started to look forward to his visits and sharing our life stories and reflecting on our own journeys was therapeutic in its own way too”.
How long does it take to become a foster carer / be approved as a foster carer?
This always varies depending on each individual / family’s circumstances. As the responses from some of our own foster carers pays testament to, this could be anywhere from two to three months, through to a maximum of eight months.
What advice about preparing for this initial foster carer assessment would you give to prospective foster carer applicants?
The assessment is designed to find out everything required to ensure the safe placement of young people in care. Therefore, it’s normal to be asked questions about everything from your lifestyle habits to past relationships, as Julie states: “be aware that all family members, including ex husbands / wives would be asked their opinion and vetted.”
So what advice do our carers have to prepare?
Alysha has some great advice on remembering why the questions are so in-depth:
“Remember that the questions are relevant for the job you are applying for. It may seem like a lot of questions and personal, but remember what it is you are applying for. It’s the same when you go to the bank to apply for a loan or credit card. Personal questions will need to be asked and it’s best to be honest and open.”
“Also, if you are uncomfortable or unhappy with the social worker assigned to you, you have the right to ask for a new one.”
Kathy says it’s important to just be yourself and embrace the lessons you’ve learnt in life:
“Just be yourselves. All life experience is experience and even the things you may see as negatives in your life will have taught you something and may be useful in empathising with kids and the losses and challenges they have faced.”
Diane thinks it’s important to why you applied in the first place:
“Really think about why you want to be considered for fostering! Think about how you expect it to plan out! Be prepared and open for your thoughts to be altered as you undertake the assessment.”
What type of questions were you asked at the Panel day itself and how did this differ from the questions asked at initial assessment?
The fostering panel’s primary goal is to make a final recommendation based on initial assessments and questioning on the day of the panel itself.
Here’s what some of our foster carers have to say based on their experience of Panel assessment.
“On the day of Panel, each person knows everything about you, yet you know nothing about them. Expanding on information [that you gave in your initial fostering assessment with the social worker(s)] and clarification of details might be asked for”
Tanya
“We were asked about our own children. This had all been covered in the process, so we were prepared” – Dawn
“Both the initial assessment and Panel day itself focused on similar questions, such as why we wanted to become foster carers and how busy our household was, through to how we planned to manage this” – Alysha
“We weren’t asked anything at Panel that hadn’t already been covered in the assessment. Panel just asked us again about our motivation for fostering, what kind of age group we felt suited to and what challenges we felt we might face” – Kathy
What pointers would you give to future applicants for getting prepared for the independent Panel day itself?
The majority of the advice from the carers we interviewed mimicked their advice for preparing for the initial assessment with the social worker(s), around being honest and being yourself. Here’s some highlights of the specific advice for any budding foster carers to take on board:
“Just be open and honest and ask questions. You wouldn’t get as far as the Panel if they didn’t think you could do the job. And relax, no one is there to trip you up” – Julie
“Ensure all information has been given, be honest and truthful and you can’t really go wrong!” – Tanya
“Just relax and be yourself. It’s not how you imagine and more informal than it sounds” – Dawn
“Try and relax as best you can. The social worker who assessed you will be with you at Panel and support you. They won’t take you to Panel unless they feel you are ready either” – Kathy
What was your experience of what happened after your Panel day e.g. the process once approved as a foster carer, how long until you had a foster child in your home etc?
Some fantastic advice here from our carers on what to expect once Panel has been completed, starting with Dawn, who says:
“You need to be prepared that you might put yourself forward to foster a child and feel you and your household would be a good match, but there may be other foster carers being considered at the time. You may not be chosen for one particular child, as the Social workers will be trying to create the perfect match for the child and carers, taking many considerations into account that you, as the foster carer, may not be aware of.
“We waited two-months before we had a placement. Sometimes we have had to wait eight-months between placements”.
Kathy on the other hand had a very different experience, with a child being placed with her within the first month after Panel: “We had our first placement I think within a month”. This was similar for Dawn too who said: “It was a matter of weeks before we had our perfect placement”.
On the longer end of the spectrum was Tanya, whose first placement took nearly a year to arrive:
“We were fairly specific about the child we felt we could look after. Following a few referrals and nos from both sides, we finally found our little one. It probably took around 10-11 months.”
Julie on the other hand had a Young Person the very next day! Which just goes to show you that depending on circumstance and a wide array of factors, there really is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ answer to this question and it’s best to let your expectations go with the flow!
“I went to panel in London and on the way back with my Social Worker I was told that I had been approved and could I take a young person the next day, which I did”.
Whatever happens through the foster care application process, our friendly and supportive team are here to guide you through every step of the way.
Interested in exploring becoming a foster carer? Get in touch today for a friendly informal chat on 01903 259900 (referencing that you read this article), or fill in our simple application form and we’ll get in touch with you!.
