Our frequently asked fostering questions and answers.
Yes. In fact, some young people will be matched with you because you have pets. Animals, particularly cats and dogs, can act as a great ice breaker, especially on that first day when you and the child might be feeling nervous about them being in your home. Having an animal that could pose a risk to a child or young person would prevent you from fostering. For example, dog breeds that are banned within the UK. Read more here.
Yes. We need diverse foster carers to reflect the diversity of young people coming into care. Sometimes there are young people who cannot be placed with a particular gender so same-sex foster carers can make a particularly good match.
Yes, you can. Having a disability does not automatically prevent you from becoming a foster carer. What matters most is your ability to provide a safe, stable and caring environment for a child or young person.
Each application to foster is considered individually. During the assessment process, we look at how your disability might affect your ability to meet a child’s needs and whether you have the right support in place to help you care for them. Many people with disabilities bring valuable life experience, empathy and resilience to fostering.
We will work closely with you to understand your circumstances and make any reasonable adjustments needed throughout the assessment, training and fostering process. Our aim is always to support carers so they can offer the best possible care to children who need it.
To foster, you need to have a spare room that will not require them to share with another member of your current household. Occasionally sibling placements can share a bedroom, but this is assessed on a case-by-case basis.
There are several misconceptions about working/fostering life balance. Despite the time and dedication required to fostering, you still can keep a full-time job.
Many foster carers can balance the responsibilities of caring for a foster child with their work commitments. Fostering a child can require a sizable time commitment because you'll be responsible for meeting the child's requirements and creating a nurturing environment for them.
You may need to be flexible with your work schedule to attend meetings and appointments related to the child's care, and you may need to work with your employer to find a suitable arrangement that allows you to fulfil your responsibilities as a foster carer.
It is also a good idea to discuss your plans to foster a child with your employer before you begin the process so that you can understand any potential impacts on your job and make any necessary arrangements in advance.
Once approved as a foster carer, you will be allocated a supervising social worker. They will visit you once a fortnight to discuss your foster child’s progress. In addition to this, members of our team are available for you to speak with at any time, day or night, 365 days a year. There are also regular local foster carer support meetings; a chance for you to meet up with our other foster carers in your area.
There is no upper age limit, age is just a number when it comes to fostering. We need people who have life experiences with the children in your care.
Yes, we need foster carers from different backgrounds, cultures and religions to match children with their cultural and religious needs. Mahvish, one of our Muslim Foster Carers shares her story here.
There are lots! Once approved as a foster carer, there are many opportunities to learn more about keeping children safe, managing behaviour, developing self-esteem in children, first aid, and many, many, more!
Yes. We have many single foster carers who have a solid support network of family and friends who offer practical and emotional support when needed. The Nexus Fostering team is also always available to support you, so you will never feel alone when you foster with us.
It depends on the criminal record. If it was something like stealing a car and it was some time ago, you could now be an excellent role model. Don’t let a criminal record put you off speaking to us as you may have lots to offer a young person.
Yes. We just need confirmation from the property owner to say that they are happy for you to foster in their property.
This depends on the area you live in. If you are in a very rural area this could cause a problem but if you live in a city, driving might not be necessary.
We encourage you to take your foster child on holiday with you so that they really feel part of the family, but we also understand you might need a break from fostering. You’ll receive 14 days of paid respite a year when you foster with Nexus Fostering.
You need to have indefinite leave to remain in the UK or be a full-time UK resident.
Fostering when you have your own family can be a rewarding experience for everyone involved, and allow your children to learn about different cultures and ways of life.
As well as support for foster carers, birth children of Nexus Fostering foster carers are also well supported and listened to. They have access to support groups, forums, and direct support from our team and are invited to the many fun family events run throughout the year.
Read Aminah's real life story about growing up in a fostering family and how they welcomed foster children into their home here.
We understand that it can be hard when forming a great relationship with the child or young person in your care, but the fact that they are ready to go shows that you have been very successful as a foster carer.
Nexus Fostering will support you every step of the way, we can put you in touch with carers who have experienced this, and as part of our continued training and support, we offer attachment training, as we know how difficult this can be.
Read foster carers Elaine and Brian's story on how they cope when a child leaves their home here.
When you foster, your fostering allowance isn’t classed as income for the purpose of calculating benefits which include income support, working tax credits, child tax credits, housing benefits, council tax reduction and universal credit.
No. Fostering is a way of offering children a stable family home when their own family is unable to care for them. Fostering is often temporary, and foster carers do not have parental responsibility for the child they care for, as this lies with the local authority. Adoption is a permanent legal arrangement which results in the adopters having full parental responsibility for the children they have adopted.
Generally, the process takes between 4 and 5 months, but we are dependent on other organisations providing us with references and your GP will undertake your medical assessment, so this can affect the timescales. As the process starts, you will be allocated your own social worker who will be with you and complete your ‘Form F’ assessment document. View the fostering process video.
Yes, if you have the space, time, and energy to do so. If you have more than one spare bedroom fostering sibling groups could work well for you.
Yes. The matching process is important for you and for the child or young person referred to us. We match, carefully, your personalities, skills, and circumstances with those of the child or young person. We will discuss this with you, fully, during your assessment
We prefer foster carers to have an open mind about the age groups as it provides carers with a lot more opportunities to care for children. We encourage foster carers to focus on the needs of the child, not their age and then decide if they're able to help them.
Read our insight article into the matching process here.
You will have a dedicated assessor who will visit and support you throughout the process. Various checks including the referee, medical and a DBS will be completed, and you are required to attend a Skills to Foster training course.
You will have an initial phone call with one of our team for advice and information. If and when you are ready you will have a dedicated assessor who will visit and support you throughout the process. Various checks including the referee, medical and a DBS will be completed and you are required to attend a ‘Preperation to Foster’ training course. The assessment process normally takes between 4-6 months.
We have a number of offices across England; Harrow (covering London, Essex, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Middlesex), Norwich (covering Norfolk and Suffolk), Ampthill (covering Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Hertfordshire), Birmingham (covering Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Walsall and Warwickshire), Cambridge (covering Cambridgeshire and West Norfolk), Telford (covering Shropshire, Shrewsbury, Staffordshire and Wolverhampton), Nottingham (covering Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Leicestershire) and Gloucester (covering Bristol, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire).
"Nexus has been incredible, guiding us through everything. They’ve helped us navigate some tough situations. The knowledge and advocacy from our Supervising Social Workers have been invaluable, both for us and the children."
Norfolk couple Elaine and Brian reached a fantastic milestone of an incredible 15 years of fostering, and we caught up with them to hear all about their journey.
Mahvish is Muslim Pakistani and is urging more foster carers to come forward from the minority community. ‘There is a huge demand for carers with a minority ethnic background, they are like gold dust. People from the minority ethnic community have so many skills to offer, from their cultural background, the traditional dishes and food, the religious care and facilities.
Children and young people come from different backgrounds, which is why we require foster carers who represent the diversity of today's society. Regardless of your sexuality, marital and relationship status, and whether you have children. You can foster.
Nexus Fostering is a fostering agency like no other. We believe all children and young people deserve a chance to live in a family setting, and we are proud that our foster carers and young people will always be our top priority.
A competitive allowance is rewarded to you as a foster carer for your valued work and for supporting the children in your care. We also offer payments for festivities, birthdays and holidays.
