Could you foster?

Many different types of people become foster carers. You can rent your home, be retired or unemployed. The most important thing is that you can provide a stable home, support, and commitment to a child in your care to help them achieve the best outcome.

Below are some of the common questions people ask when they are considering becoming a foster carer.

Do I need a spare room?

You will need to have a spare room to foster.

Some children that you foster could share a room if they are related and under a certain age.

If you foster babies, they can share your room up until the age of 12 months.

Short Breaks carers only need to make a room available when the child comes to stay.

What if my home is rented?

You don't need to own your home to foster with us. If you rent, you need to have a stable tenancy and your landlord's agreement.

Do I need to have my own children?

No, but some childcare experience can help.

If you do have your own children living at home with you they need to be happy with becoming a fostering family. We support foster carers' own children in a number of ways.

Can I have pets?

Yes, many of our foster carers' have pets. For some children animals can be therapeutic.

Do I need to have a driving licence?

No, you do not need to be able to drive. However, you will need to have access public transport.

Is there an age limit?

To foster with us you need to have some life experience and maturity, and be aged over 21 when you start the fostering assessment.

There is no upper age limit for foster carers but you will need to be healthy to meet the needs of a child.

Will the children be local?

Children in foster care will usually come from somewhere in Surrey, although we also have some unaccompanied asylum-seeking children needing homes. We will try, where possible, to place children with foster carers who are able to meet their cultural needs, however this is not always possible. We require all foster carers to be open-minded about who they care for.

Can I work and foster?

You can work full-time and be a Supported Lodgings carer or a Short Breaks carer.

It is possible to foster a school-aged child and continue working. You will need friends or family who will get to know the child and be able to care for them outside school hours and during school holidays.

If you are fostering a pre-school-aged child, or are thinking about Parent and Child fostering, one foster carer will need to be at home full-time.

All foster carers will need some flexibility at work so they can be available for planned daytime meetings with social workers and other professionals.

If you claim universal credit and foster you will need to check how this may impact on you.

All foster carers need to register as self-employed with HMRC. We will help you with this.

What if I'm unemployed?

It is possible to foster and be unemployed. Fostering is not often a barrier to claiming benefits.

Foster carers receive a weekly allowance to cover the living costs of children in their care. These payments are only made when you have a child living with you.

If you are a single carer and have little or no other income, it is worth checking if you can claim universal credit.

As a foster carer you need to register as self employed with the HMRC. Foster carers benefit from tax breaks which means that there is often no tax to pay on income from fostering.

What if I don't live in Surrey?

If you don't live in Surrey but live around the borders of the county then you can still foster with us.

Do I need to be married?

We welcome you whatever your relationship status; single, married, divorced, widowed, co-habiting or in a civil partnership.

My first language is not English

You do not need to be a native English speaker to foster. You do need to be able to speak English well enough to talk to and be understood by the child you are fostering.

I am not from the UK

You can foster as long as you have indefinite leave to remain/ settlement in the UK.

I am LGBTQ+

We are proud to support LGBTQ+ people and do not discriminate based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

I have a disability or long-standing medical condition

All foster carers need to have a medical. Our medical advisor will suggest whether you are well enough to foster. If you take medication for your condition and it doesn't affect your day-to-day life, you are unlikely to be excluded on medical grounds.

What if I smoke or vape?

You cannot foster a child under the age of five if anyone in the house smokes or vapes. You can foster an older child if you only smoke or vape outside the home.

I have a criminal conviction

Having a criminal conviction won't always stop you fostering. However, you cannot foster if you have any convictions against children.