The process starts when you apply to become a foster parent and finishes with a decision from the fostering service. The process can take up to 8 months to complete.

Steps 2 to 6 might happen in a different order.

1) You apply to become a foster parent through your local council or an independent fostering agency (such as Apex Fostering). You can only register with one fostering service.

2) The council or agency asks you to go to a preparation course on fostering.

3) You and every adult that lives with you will need to pass an enhanced with barred lists Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

4) A social worker assesses you and your family to check that you’re able to care for a child.

5) You state any preferences about the children you’ll care for, like age or gender. You cannot choose a child out of a group of children and you do not get a trial period with a foster child.

6) The fostering service reviews your application. You’ll need to meet with their panel who will make a recommendation.

7) The fostering service makes a decision on your application.

This article was previous published on the gov.uk website.

Apex Fostering is here to help and guide you through your Fostering journey.