Fostering

Key Online Services: First steps to fostering - enquiry form

Small mycouncil TV logo Happy endings start with foster carers - video

Fostering a young person can be a very rewarding experience. You are able to work with them through what can be a very difficult time in their lives.

Our Fostering Service was rated "Outstanding" at our last Ofsted inspection in December 2011. A copy of the inspection report can be downloaded from the Ofsted website.

As part of Fostercare Fortnight, we will be organising a number of roadshows around the city from 22 May to 26 May. To find out more, visit our Fostering Roadshows webpage.

Our foster carers offer a warm, caring and firm foundation, helping children and young people to move into the future with confidence. To find out more about being a foster carer, you may like to read our case studies.

Young people in care come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Ranging from newborn babies to teenagers, they all have different reasons for being in care.

Depending on your interests, skills and experience, you could look after someone with a disability or someone who has an ethnic background different to your own.

As well as 'standard' foster placements, there are also specialist aspects to fostering such as:

Fostering - could this be you? Supported Placements (aimed at helping young people who are 16 plus to move toward independent living)

Parent and Child Placements (where a parent and their child will live with you in your home in order to gain parenting skills)

We also have two innovative schemes that Foster carers work closely with:

Our House (for 8-12 year olds)

The Adolescent Resource Centre (ARC) (for 13-17 year olds)

Fostering matching service

Our careful matching service means that we will consult you before we make a placement and we never encourage you to look after a young person if it does not meet your circumstances.

We use the word “carer” because fostering involves more than being a substitute parent. The main difference is that most fostered young people will return to live with their own parents.

As a foster carer, you will also work as part of a professional team. This team includes social workers, doctors, teachers and therapists, as well as the birth family.

Fully funded and supported

All fostering placements are fully funded, carers should never end up out of pocket. There is also a skills based payment scheme available to carers who have gained experience and have undertaken relevant qualifications (which are funded by Southampton City Council). It's up to you how far you want to to go, you can develop a genuine career in care by fostering.

We will allocate a Supervising Social Worker to you. Their job is to support you and make sure you have everything you need to give the young person a positive experience. We will help you with regular meetings, advice and support with all aspects of fostering. You will have 24hr support and can access our “Out of Hours” team in case there are any emergencies.

Further Information

For more information on fostering, please see our frequently asked questions listed below, our film "Fostering in Southampton", or visit our Facebook page.

If you feel you are ready to meet one of our team, please complete and submit the "First Steps to Fostering" form by clicking the link at the top of this page. Once we receive this we will call you to arrange a visit for an informal chat in your own home.

Ofsted - Outstanding 2011-12 If you would like this page or any of its attached forms in a different format (e.g. Braille, tape or disc) or in a different language then please contact us using the details below.

Fostering - Some Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do I need to be a home owner?

No. You can own your own home or be renting or live in Council provided accommodation.

2. Can I be a Foster carer and be single?

Yes. You can be a single male or female. You can be in a same sex relationship. You can be married, separated or divorced - it really doesn't matter, as long as you can provide a stable and caring home.

3. Can I be in full time employment?

Yes, although this would limit you with the type of care you'd be able to offer. You can also be working part-time, or not working at all.

4. What are the different types of Foster Care?

Respite, which can be as short as one night through to 3 weeks
Short term, up to two years
Long term, two years and upwards

You can choose one, two or all three areas.

5. Can I choose the age range of the children I want to look after?

Yes you can. You are normally approved for an age range of children that fits with your own expectations and also the skills that you can offer. If you have your own children then any child who is placed with you would normally be younger than your own youngest child.

6. Do I need to have a spare room?

Ideally yes, however it is possible for younger children to sometimes share a room with your own children.

7. Is there a minimum or maximum age for Foster Carers?

The minimum age is 21. There is no maximum age, you are simply assessed on an ongoing basis, as long as you're able to offer a good standard of care.

8. Do I get paid for Fostering?

Yes. Foster Carers should never end up out of pocket. There's a weekly allowance that's paid that covers the cost of any child that's placed with you.

There's also Skills based payments that are available for those who have gained a little experience and have undertaken relevant qualifications (funded by the City Council). Please refer to the Fostering Procedure link on this webpage for full payment details.

9. What if I'm a smoker?

You can still foster, but it won't be possible to foster 0-4 year olds.

10. Would my partner need to be assessed?

Yes. Even if you're the primary carer there is an expectation that your partner will have background checks done and will come on the training courses as part of the assessment process.

11. How long does it take to be assessed?

It usually takes between 6-9 months. The assessment will involve background checks that are run by independent bodies and the time it takes for the checks to come back to us is variable.

There's also a training course that will help inform you of some of the challenges you may face and provide you with the skills you'll need for fostering placements.

12. Can I still Foster if I have a Criminal record?

The disclosure of a criminal record will not necessarily stop you from fostering. During your assessment your Supervising Social Worker would look at the nature of the offence, how long ago it was committed and the age you were when it was committed and will then decide if the conviction renders you unsuitable to become a foster carer.

We have a duty to make sure that we safeguard fostered children and for this reason we carry out extensive checks on applicants. You will be asked to declare any conviction or cautions which you may have. Any offences, which you may have committed, will be exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Any information you give will be treated in confidence and will only be used in relation to your fostering application. Information received from the Criminal Records Bureau will be kept in strict confidence and will be destroyed when your fostering application is complete.
Failure to declare a conviction may adversely affect your application to become a foster carer.

Downloadable documents

Icon	Name of file	Size	Download time
	Fostering Procedure 2011 -2012	278 KB	1secs @ 2Mbps
	Fostering Services Statement Of Purpose 2010 - 2011	184 KB	1secs @ 2Mbps

Link to download Adobe Acrobat if required

Contact information

If you want to contact us regarding the content of this page please contact us at:

fostering.services@southampton.gov.uk
0800 5 19 18 18
Fostering Team, 6th Floor, Marland House, Southampton, SO14 7PQ

For any other council related enquiries please contact:

enquiries@southampton.gov.uk
023 8083 3000
General Enquiries Civic Centre, SO14 7LY