Can I foster a child?
Becoming a foster carer may seem like an impossible dream to you, but at Unity Foster Care, we welcome applicants of all ages, race, gender and identity.
It doesn't matter if you're single, a member of the LGBTQ+ community or over the age of 60 - as long as you fit our basic criteria, we'd love to hear from you.
Our friendly fostering advisors can offer you plenty of guidance and advice. They will talk you through what’s involved in fostering and the foster carer assessment process. They will answer any questions you may have on the foster carer checks, fostering allowances, and anything else you can think of.
Foster carer eligibility critera
If you'd like to become a foster parent, you need to meet our basic requirements before we move onto the next stage of your application. Our foster carer criteria is:
- Aged 25+
- Have a spare bedroom
- A UK citizen
And that's it! Ideally, we'd also love our foster carers to have access to their own transport, but we assess this on a case by case basis.
Who will I foster?
When you become an approved foster carer, you'll soon be welcoming amazing foster children into your home! You could offer fostering to a range of placements, including:
- Babies & toddlers
- Children
- Teenagers
- Siblings & sibling groups (3+)
- Parent & child placements
- Children with additional needs
Send enquiry!
You can become a foster parent if...
You're single and want to apply on your own!
You're part of the LGBTQ+ community!
You're aged 55+, and you're ready to foster!
You rent your accommodation!
You have no birth/adoptive children of your own!
You already have your own children to care for!
You're still in full-time employment!
You weren't born in the UK, but you're a UK citizen!
Frequently asked questions!
Yes! Most of our foster carers have pets of some sort. Caring for pets tends to go hand in hand with the caring nature of foster carers. Once you've taken your first steps towards a career as a foster carer, we will begin the fostering assessment process, and your pets are an important part of this process. Importantly, over and over again, we have seen the way children coming into care find it less daunting to make friends with your pets before they make friends with you! In addition, your pets can be instrumental in helping a child or young person settle in your home.
Yes, most definitely! Sometimes we are explicitly asked for a single female or male foster carer. This is because some children and young people will have had a negative experience with females or males; they'll feel safer with you.
While several criminal offences would exclude people from becoming foster carers, there is a number that won’t.
Everyone’s background and experience differ, so we assess each applicant on their own merits. However, the most important thing is that you are completely honest and open with us at every assessment stage.
If you are concerned about this in any way, please don’t hesitate to contact us for confidential advice. We are not here to judge you. On the contrary, we are here to help you achieve your wish to foster children and young people, so get in touch with us today.
How much does fostering pay is one of our most frequently asked questions! Once you are approved as a foster carer and allocated your first placement, an allowance will be calculated based on your experience and the circumstances of the child/children placed with you.
Fostering a child or young person is unique each time – allowances also differ to reflect this. Our knowledgeable team will be happy to run through this with you.
Most definitely yes. Foster Children are expected to have their own rooms and privacy, but under certain circumstances siblings can share a room.
There are no legal age limits to becoming a foster carer. However, as a foster care agency, Unity have a lower age limit of 25 years. There is not an upper age limit, but much depends on the type of fostering you want to undertake. If in doubt, call us and have a chat.
Yes. We have many single male and female parents.
We have many carers from the LGBTQ+ community and we’d always welcome more.
Book a call back with our friendly fostering advisor at a time to suit you
Use the calendar below to select a date and time for our fostering advisor, Gemma, to call you back for an initial chat about fostering and answer any questions you may have.