Got Questions? We've Got Answers.

Fostering means opening your home and your heart to a child who is unable to live with their family. You'll do this by offering them safety, stability, and care, while helping them rebuild confidence and self-esteem.

Children in foster care come from many different backgrounds and may have experienced trauma such as neglect, abuse, or separation. As a foster carer, your role is to listen, understand, and walk alongside them, providing the support they need to heal, grow, and reach their full potential.

Our foster carers come from all walks of life — different backgrounds, cultures, religions, sexual orientations, genders, and ages. None of these are barriers to fostering. What matters most is the ability to provide a safe and caring home for a child in need.

We look for qualities like empathy, reliability, warmth, and an open mind. Foster carers should be approachable, non-judgemental, committed, and curious about people and what makes them tick. Resilience, a practical mindset, and the ability to be playful are also important.

Experience with children is helpful, whether that's through parenting, a professional role, or supporting others — but it's your attitude and dedication that count most.

While you don't need professional qualifications to foster, experience caring for or supporting children — either through parenting, family life, or another role — is important. Once you're approved, we'll provide all the training and guidance you need to care for children with a range of needs, so you'll feel prepared and supported every step of the way.

Every child in foster care has faced loss and separation from their birth family, but the reasons behind it vary. Some children are removed from their home for safety reasons due to neglect or abuse. Others may come into care because of family difficulties that threaten their well-being. Sometimes foster care is temporary, with the intention of reuniting the child with their family, while other placements may be longer term. It depends on the child's unique circumstances.

You can foster at any age, as long as you're 25 or over and have the time, energy, and commitment to care for a child. Many people choose to foster later in life, often after their own children have grown up. As part of the assessment process, we'll carry out health checks to make sure you're well enough to provide the care and support a child needs.

Yes. Many foster carers also have children living at home, and your parenting experience can be a real strength. Before placing a child with you, we'll carefully consider the needs of both your own children and the foster child, and help your family prepare for sharing your lives. The only requirement is that your youngest child must be at least two years old before you can foster.

Absolutely. Your sexuality has no impact on your ability to foster. We warmly welcome applications from lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

Yes. You don't need to be married to foster. Whether you're single, in a partnership, or cohabiting, what matters most is that you can offer a stable, loving, and supportive home for a child.

Absolutely. Children can thrive in a loving single-parent home just as much as they can in a two-parent household. If you're fostering on your own, having a strong, reliable support network of friends or family can be really helpful for both you and the child in your care.

No, but you will need flexibility. Many children in foster care can't get themselves to and from school, so you'll need to be available for drop-offs, pick-ups, and days when they're off school due to illness, exclusions, or appointments. You may also be asked to attend meetings about the child during working hours.

Some foster carers work part-time or are self-employed in roles that can fit around their fostering responsibilities. The key is making sure your work can adapt to the needs of the child in your care.

Yes. As a foster carer, you'll need to communicate clearly with professionals such as social workers, teachers, and health specialists about the child's welfare. You'll also be required to complete regular written reports on the child's progress and development.

No. You don't need to own your home, but you do need a secure tenancy. If you rent, we'll need to get your landlord's permission to foster in that property.

Yes — every foster child generally needs their own room for privacy and security. However, siblings may share a room if it's suitable and in their best interest.

While both provide a stable, loving home for a child, adoption is a legal process that transfers full parental rights and responsibilities from the birth parents to the adoptive parents. Fostering, on the other hand, is usually temporary — often until the child turns 18 — and allows the child to maintain ties with their birth family. As a foster carer, you'll work closely with social workers and may have ongoing contact with the child's family. You'll also receive training, ongoing support, and a fostering allowance that reflects the child's needs.

Possibly, yes. What matters most is that you can reliably get a child to school, appointments, and activities. If you have good public transport links nearby and can manage these journeys, fostering could still be an option for you. We'll talk it through with you to make sure it's practical for both you and the child in your care.

Not necessarily. Having a criminal record doesn't automatically prevent you from fostering. It depends on the nature of the offence, how long ago it happened, and your circumstances since then.

We can't accept applications from anyone with convictions for offences against children or certain serious crimes. For other offences, we'll look at your individual situation with transparency and sensitivity. If you're unsure, we're happy to talk it through with you before you apply.

Absolutely not. We welcome foster carers from all faiths and cultural backgrounds. Where possible, we match children with carers who can help them stay connected to their own beliefs and traditions.

For most people, the journey from first enquiry to approval takes around three to six months. It starts with an informal chat so you can ask questions and find out if fostering is right for you. From there, we'll guide you through each step of the assessment process at a pace that works for you. There's no pressure — just support when you need it.

Your journey begins with preparation training designed to help you understand what fostering really involves in day-to-day life. These sessions are honest and grounded in real experience — exploring what it means to welcome a child into your home, how to respond to emotional and behavioural needs, and how fostering can affect your household.

Alongside this, you may be asked to complete some online courses, including safeguarding, diversity and inclusion, first aid (followed up by in-person training), and administering medication.

If suitable, you may also be invited to attend some of our training sessions for approved foster carers during your assessment. Our aim isn't to overwhelm you — it's to help you feel informed, prepared, and confident as you move forward.

Matching is one of the most important parts of fostering. We take time to understand your family's strengths, skills, and preferences — including your lifestyle, experience, and the types of needs you feel confident supporting.

We also look closely at each child's background, personality, and specific needs to ensure the placement will feel safe, stable, and positive for everyone involved. This includes practical considerations like location, so a child can stay in their school and community, as well as emotional and cultural factors that will help them feel understood and accepted.

We make these decisions in partnership with you, so you feel fully informed and comfortable before any placement begins.

Yes. Foster carers are responsible for paying National Insurance and registering as self-employed. However, there are generous tax allowances designed specifically to support fostering households.

Under the UK Government's Qualifying Care Relief (QCR) scheme, you receive a basic tax exemption of £19,360 per household per year, pro-rated if you foster for part of the year. On top of this, you receive weekly tax relief for each child in your care:

• £415 per week for each child under 11
• £495 per week for each child aged 11 or over

For example, fostering one 14-year-old for a full year would give you: £19,360 + (£495 × 52 weeks) = £45,100 tax-free. This means many foster carers pay little or no income tax on their fostering allowance.

We'll talk you through how this works in practice and guide you through what's required for record-keeping and annual returns. You won't be left to figure it out alone.

Respite care is when the child in your care stays temporarily with another trusted carer, giving you a break. At Soundly, your fostering allowance already includes provision for up to 14 nights of respite per year, whether you use it or not. If you arrange respite — with an approved foster family, backup carer, or extended family — any payment for that would come from your allowance. The flexibility is yours, and we'll help guide you through your options when needed.

You'll receive your fostering allowance whenever you have a child in your care. Payments are made fortnightly, but where possible, we can arrange additional payments outside the regular schedule to help you manage your finances.

Start by reflecting on what isn't working — whether that's a lack of communication, training, or shared values. This will help you decide if a move is the right choice.

If you want to explore a change, you can have a confidential, no-obligation chat with us. There's no commitment until you're ready. When you do decide to transfer, the process follows the Transfer Protocol, which is designed to protect everyone involved, and can sometimes be completed in as little as six weeks.

Once you've decided Soundly Fostering is the right fit for you and we've confirmed you meet our requirements, we'll walk you through the transfer steps and timeline — guiding you through each stage so the move feels clear and well supported.

Not from scratch. Much of your existing information can be reviewed and updated rather than fully redone. There are still regulatory checks that must be completed — such as DBS checks, references, and updating your assessment to reflect any changes in your circumstances — but we'll use your existing records wherever we can, while meeting all legal requirements.

We'll review your training record from your current agency and Local Authority. Any core mandatory training will be repeated to align with our standards, and you'll be offered ongoing training as part of our support — staying up to date while continuing to develop your skills.

Soundly Fostering will help arrange the protocol meeting with the child's team. The purpose is to confirm that Soundly can offer you and the child in your care the support needed. During the meeting, the team will discuss timelines for your assessment and confirm that the child will continue living with you. Everyone agrees to keep each other informed throughout the process.

Yes. Once the Agency Decision Maker (ADM) has formally approved your transfer, you must give 28 days' written notice to your current fostering agency. This confirms the date you'll leave one agency and officially join the other.

Yes. The child's well-being will always be our priority. We'll work closely with you to ensure any disruption is kept to a minimum. You'll need to let your current agency know as soon as possible — they'll arrange a formal protocol meeting to discuss the transfer, and we'll be there alongside you throughout.

They'll meet with you to outline the full transfer process and timescales. You'll go through a formal assessment — including regulatory checks, references, and an assessment report — which will be presented to the agency's independent panel. You'll be invited to attend. Only after panel approval will the transfer be finalised.