What We Look For - The Process

Here's how to go about becoming a foster carer:

1 - Registration of Interest

Firstly you will need to contact us to express your interest in becoming a foster carer. You can ring us on (01709) 823976, write to us (Fostering Recruitment Team, Ground Floor, Norfolk House, Walker Place, Rotherham, S65 1AS) or complete our online form. We will send you an Information Pack within 2 days.

2 - Referral

After a few days (to give you chance to read the Information Pack), a social worker from our recruitment team will make telephone contact with you to collate more information about your expression of interest. We call this a referral.

3 - Initial visit

We'll contact you to arrange a first meeting, usually at your home, where one of our recruitment team will be happy to answer any questions you have about becoming a foster carer. It's a chance to discover if foster caring really is right for you and your family. We'll find out more about you at this meeting and check that there's nothing that would stop you from becoming a foster carer. It's a 'finding out' session for everyone, and there's no obligation at all to proceed if you decide it's not right for you.

4 - Skills To Foster Training

You will then be invited to attend our skills to foster preparation training course. This is your opportunity to learn much more about fostering on a course run by our recruitment team assisted by foster carers. You'll be introduced to the challenges of foster care, the kinds of experiences children may have gone through and why they may behave in certain ways. You'll also learn about the people you'll be working with, for example the child's family, social workers and other professionals, and what is expected of you as a foster carer. The course will also contribute to your assessment. The course is presented several times throughout the year and weekend training is also available for those who find it difficult to attend during the week.

5 - Your application

If, after our training, you want to proceed (& we feel that you are suitable), we'll provide you with an Application Form which you'll need to complete and return to us so that we can progress your interest in fostering. You will need to complete the Application Form as you will undergo assessment, checks and references. We need your consent (via the signed Application Form) to obtain checks and references.

6 - Home Study and Assessment

If you decide to go ahead with your application, the next step is for a member of our team to visit you at home over several visits to get a more rounded picture of how you would cope with the responsibilities of foster care. We'll talk about your life, your childhood, the way your family functions and other subjects which may influence the way you'd care for a foster child. This is all in line with national regulations for fostering and we'll guide you through the process. We understand it can be a demanding and sometimes stressful process, but it's in everyone's interest to get it right for you and your family and for any children who may come to be looked after by you.

By law, we have to undertake rigorous checks to ensure the suitability of our foster carers to look after vulnerable children and young people, such as:

• A Criminal Records Bureau check on all people in the household who are over 16 and any people who will be supporting you, such as relatives and babysitters
• Local Authority and other agency checks (e.g. N.S.P.C.C., Probation Service)
• Child health and education checks will be carried out on any school-age children in the household
• Written current or most recent employers' references are needed for each applicant. Additional references from any previous employer where there was contact with children will be obtained
• A GP Reference (where applicable)
• A minimum of three personal referees (one of whom should be a family member) who will provide written references and be interviewed as part of the assessment process - these references need to "span your lifetime"
• Interviews will be carried out with any other adults in the household

7 - The Fostering Panel

Everything you've told us will be put together into a single report to be put forward to the Fostering Panel. You'll have the opportunity to see the report (excluding references unless we have permission to share these with you) and make your own comments.

Then we'll present the report to the Fostering Panel, a group of people who are independent of Rotherham's Fostering Service but have great experience and knowledge of fostering. You will be invited and are welcome to attend the meeting with the recruitment worker. The Panel then makes the recommendation on the basis of this information.

The Panel recommendation is considered by the Agency Decision Maker who will look at the report and the minutes from the Panel. We will tell you of the decision as soon as possible. In addition, you will be informed in writing about the agency decision.

Once approved, you are then registered as a foster carer for Rotherham Borough Council. Your fostering worker will visit you regularly and help match your skills and family circumstances with children who need to be fostered.

Once you have a child in your care, your worker will keep in touch with the child's social worker and other professionals involved. They will make sure that you get all the help you need to provide a stable, safe and caring environment for the child placed in your home.

8 - Fostering

Now the fun begins! Here's where you'll start to experience the challenges and the enormous personal rewards that come with being a foster carer.