Frequently Asked Questions

Both are ways to provide children with loving homes. But they’re different in crucial respects.

Fostering

Foster parents provide a stable family life for children and young people, who are unable to live with their birth parents at a point in time. This could be for a few nights/weeks, months or years and sometimes until they reach adulthood. Many fostered children return to their own families after a temporary stay in foster care however some children need longer term foster homes to enable children the chance to thrive in a safe, secure, loving and caring home environment with foster parents.

As a foster parent you have the potential to help more than just one child or young person

Adoption

You will need a spare room which has space for a single bed, wardrobe and chest of drawers. We are unable to accept applications unless you have a spare room but we are happy to talk to you about the sort of property which would be suitable if you were considering a move at some point in the future.

No. Park Foster Care provides free training where you and your family will be supported to identify existing skills, experiences and qualities that you can build on as a family. Following approval, foster parents in England are supported to achieve Training, Support and Development Standards for Foster Care. Park’s foster parents all have their own personal development plans where we support you to identify what learning you need to undertake to as part of your professional development as a foster parent.

Park Foster Care has a variety of different ways of supporting foster parents during the day and outside of office hours. One of the key people to support you will be your supervising social worker, who will meet with you regularly to discuss any concerns you have, undertake supervision, and arrange any training you feel you need. Park pay for you to be a member of Foster Talk an independent, non-profit organisation providing professional support services to foster parents across the UK https://www.fostertalk.org/

You can still foster if you have pets, many children benefit from living in a family with animals. However each animal has a different temperament and behaviour, and will be assessed as part of the family assessment process. You will need to consider how much time looking after your pet(s) takes, how you would feel if a child scared or harmed your pet.

The national average age of people starting their fostering journey is 54 however here at Park Foster Care we’re proud to support foster parents from various age groups right up to their mid-70’s, proving that fostering is an all-inclusive career, where age is nothing but a number.

Family holidays whether home or abroad are an invaluable part of building long lasting memories and provide the ideal opportunity for family members to bond and spend some quality time together.

It’s therefore no surprise that one of the most frequently asked questions from people thinking of becoming a foster family is ‘can I take a foster child on holiday?’

For the most part the answer is YES however there are some considerations and things to put in place before you can pack that suitcase. As a foster family there are some rules and regulations that need to be considered.

You will need to be a full-time resident of the UK in order to start a fostering application. We receive placement requests for families of all different backgrounds, ethnicities and cultures and welcome people from all backgrounds.

Park Foster Care would need you to have moved into your new property so we can assess its suitability as part of the assessment process. People often ask our advice on what sort of house and what location is best so they can foster. We are happy to talk to you before a move but would delay starting an application until you are settled.

Not necessarily. Park would ask that you are very open from the start about any criminal convictions, as we undertake enhanced criminal record checks on every adult household member. Criminal convictions against children or of a sexual nature would prevent someone being able to become a foster parent. Minor historic offences should not count against you in your application to foster, but if you withhold this information it will make us question your openness with us.

Any long-term conditions are taken into account during the initial application stage and during the assessment. Park Foster Care has a responsibility for the well-being of its foster parents and need to be sure you are physically and psychologically fit enough to cope with the demands of caring for a child – this may vary depending on the age of the children that you are approved for.

Past or current mental illness does not prevent you becoming a foster parent, however you would need to discuss any health issues with us in the early stages. Every foster parent undertakes a full medical prior to being approved and at regular intervals thereafter. Your mental health will be discussed as part of the assessment process, to ensure the stresses of fostering will not negatively impact on your health and well-being.

You will need a good level of spoken and written English to be able to communicate with other professionals, support children’s education and make notes and keep records. Some children speak English as a second language, so being placed with foster parents who are multilingual is very positive for them. Do give Park a call if you wish to discuss any communication needs.

You will not be able to foster a child under the age of 5 years or a disabled child of any age if you smoke. This also includes the use of Vape’s. All foster parents should provide a smoke-free environment for children.

You can apply to become a foster parent if one of your children has a disability. Park will want to discuss with you how you would balance out the needs of any children who are placed with you with the needs of your own child and what the impact could be on your own child of having other children in their home.