Thinking about fostering? The Form F is simply the fostering assessment every prospective foster carer completes, and it's the first real step towards welcoming a child into your home. Tell us a little about yourself and we'll guide you through what happens next, with no pressure and no obligation.
Carried out by qualified, registered social workersA supportive, respectful experience from start to finishClear timescales, usually three to six monthsThere's no feeling quite like watching a child grow in confidence, settle, and begin to thrive in your care. Fostering has its challenges, but it is also one of the most rewarding things you will ever do: a chance to give a young person safety, stability and hope, and to change their life for the better, one day at a time.
A Form F assessment is the fostering assessment every prospective foster carer in the UK completes before they can be approved.
Named after the report your assessing social worker produces, it builds a full, honest picture of you, your household and your ability to care for a child who cannot live with their birth family. It usually involves a series of home visits over three to six months, alongside background checks and references, before your report is presented to an independent fostering panel.
What the assessment coversYour background, family life and relationshipsYour health, lifestyle and home environmentEnhanced DBS and statutory checks on adults in the householdPersonal and professional referencesYour motivation and capacity to care for a child
Could you foster?
Many people rule themselves out of fostering before they even begin, often because of a myth. In reality, foster carers come from all walks of life. You may well be able to foster even if you think you can't.
You rent your home rather than own itYou're single, married, unmarried, divorced or separatedYou're LGBTQ+ or in a same-sex relationshipYou're older, as there's no upper age limit if you're fit and wellYou work full-time or part-timeYou're currently receiving benefitsYou have a disability or a long-term health conditionYou follow any religion, or none at allYou don't already have children of your ownA few things are needed for everyone, though. Here's what to check.
The essentialsA foster child usually needs their own room, so you'll need a spare bedroom available for them, with some flexibility for the under-twos.
You'll need to be at least 21. There's no upper age limit, as long as you're fit and healthy enough to care for a child.
You don't need to be a British citizen, but you'll need settled status or the right to remain in the UK on a long-term basis.
The journeyGet in touch and we'll have a friendly, no-obligation chat about fostering.
In-depth visits explore your history, family life, health and motivation to foster.
Enhanced DBS, statutory checks and personal and professional references.
Your full, analytical report, which you'll see and confirm before panel.
An independent panel considers your report and makes its recommendation.
Why SwiftClear dates for visits, submission and panel, and the organisation to hit them.
Sensitive, respectful interviewing that puts you at ease during a personal process.
Assessments carried out by qualified, registered social workers, to CoramBAAF standard.
There's no commitment in getting in touch. Here's how things usually unfold once you do.
We'll be in touch, usually within one working day, for a relaxed chatIf you'd like to go ahead, we'll arrange an initial home visitWe'll begin your Form F assessment, supporting you at every stageYour report goes to panel, and once approved your journey beginsGood to knowNo. If you're being assessed to foster with a fostering agency or local authority, the cost of your Form F assessment is covered by them, not by you. There's no fee to enquire, no fee to be assessed, and no obligation to continue if you decide the timing isn't right. You are simply giving your time and your openness to the process. Once you're approved and caring for a child, you'll also receive a fostering allowance to help with the costs of looking after them, so fostering should never leave you out of pocket for doing something so worthwhile.
No fee to enquire or to be assessedNo obligation to continue at any stageA fostering allowance once you're caring for a childYes. Foster carers receive a fostering allowance for every child in their care, which is designed to cover the cost of looking after them, such as food, clothing, activities and travel. Many fostering services also pay a fee or reward on top, in recognition of your time, skill and commitment, so for a lot of carers fostering becomes a genuine vocation. The exact amounts vary depending on the service, the type of fostering and the needs of the child, and there is a generous tax arrangement for foster carers too. We're happy to talk you through how allowances and fees typically work when you get in touch.
An allowance for each child to cover their costsMany services pay a fee or reward as wellAmounts vary by service and placementFostering and adoption both involve caring for a child who cannot live with their birth family, but they are quite different. Fostering is usually a temporary arrangement: you care for a child for a period of time, from a few nights to several years, while decisions are made about their future, and you work alongside social workers and often the child's birth family. Adoption is permanent and transfers legal parental responsibility to you. Foster carers are assessed through the Form F process, are supported throughout and paid an allowance, and stay part of a professional team around the child. Many people find fostering suits them because of that ongoing support.
Fostering is usually temporary; adoption is permanentFoster carers stay part of the team around the childFostering is assessed through the Form F processOften, yes, although it depends on your circumstances and the type of fostering you do. Some forms of fostering, such as caring for very young children or children with additional needs, ask for a carer to be available full-time, while others fit more flexibly around work, especially school-age placements or respite care. What matters is that you can be there for a child when they need you, including for school runs, appointments, meetings and the occasional emergency. During your assessment, we'll talk honestly about your working life and help you think through which types of fostering would work best alongside it.
Many carers combine fostering with workBeing available for the child matters mostWe'll help you find a type that fitsThere are several kinds of fostering, and your assessment can consider which suit you best. Short-term fostering offers a child a home while longer-term plans are made, while long-term fostering provides a stable home into adulthood. Respite or short-break care gives full-time carers and children a planned break, and emergency fostering means being ready to welcome a child at short notice. There is also specialist fostering, such as parent and child placements, or caring for children with particular needs. You don't have to decide everything now, as part of the assessment is exploring what fits your family, your home and your strengths.
Short-term, long-term, respite and emergencySpecialist options such as parent and childThe assessment helps you find your fitA great deal. Fostering is never something you do alone. From the moment you enquire, you'll have people alongside you, and once approved you'll have your own supervising social worker, access to training and development, and usually a network of other foster carers to lean on. Many services offer round-the-clock advice, support groups, and help for your own children too. During the assessment itself, your assessing social worker guides you through every stage, answers your questions and makes sure you feel prepared. Strong support is one of the things that makes fostering sustainable and rewarding, and it's something we take seriously.
Your own supervising social worker once approvedTraining, support groups and carer networksGuidance through every stage of assessmentYes. You are entitled to read your completed Form F before it is presented to the fostering panel, and a good assessor will actively want you to. The report is written about you and your family, so it is important that you have the chance to check it reflects your circumstances fairly and accurately. Your assessing social worker will usually share the report with you towards the end of the process, giving you time to read it carefully, ask questions and raise anything you feel is unclear or incomplete. This is not a formality; it is a genuine opportunity to make sure the document that goes to panel is one you recognise as a true account of who you are.
You'll see the full report before panelTime to read, question and reflectA fair, accurate account you recogniseYes. If you spot a factual error in your Form F, such as a wrong date, a misremembered detail or something recorded inaccurately, you should raise it with your assessing social worker, who will correct it. The report is meant to be an accurate record, and factual mistakes are straightforward to put right before it goes to panel. It is worth reading the document closely, because small details matter. Where the point is a matter of professional judgement or interpretation rather than fact, your assessor may not simply change their view, but you are always entitled to have your own comments and perspective recorded alongside theirs, so the panel sees the full picture.
Factual errors are corrected before panelRead the report closely, as detail mattersYour own comments can be recorded tooYes. If you have a partner who lives with you, they will be part of the assessment, whether or not they intend to be a main foster carer. Fostering affects the whole household, so your assessor needs to understand your relationship, your partner's views and their willingness to support fostering. If you are applying as a couple, you will both be assessed and, if approved, approved together. If your partner does not wish to be a carer themselves, they will still take part in some visits and complete the necessary checks, because a child placed with you would be living alongside them. Being open and involved from the start makes for a smoother, more honest assessment.
A live-in partner is always part of itCouples are assessed and approved togetherChecks apply to all adults in the homeYes. Your own children, whether they still live at home or have grown up and moved away, are an important part of your assessment. Fostering has a real impact on birth children, so your assessor will want to meet those living with you and hear their thoughts about welcoming a foster child into the family. This is done sensitively and in an age-appropriate way, and it helps everyone prepare for the change ahead. Adult children who live elsewhere are often asked to provide a reference, as they can offer valuable insight into your parenting. Involving your children early helps make sure the whole family feels ready and well supported.
Children at home are met and consultedDone sensitively and age-appropriatelyAdult children may be asked for a referenceA Form F draws on a range of references so the panel has a rounded, independent view of you. You will be asked to nominate several personal referees who know you well and can speak to your character and your suitability to care for children. Where relevant, professional references may be sought too, for example from an employer or someone who has seen you work with children. If you have adult children, or a former partner with whom you share children, they are usually asked to contribute as well, as they can offer particular insight into your parenting. Referees are normally contacted directly and may be visited in person, so choose people who know you genuinely well.
Several personal referees who know you wellProfessional references where relevantFormer partners or adult children where appropriateMost fostering assessments involve somewhere between eight and ten home visits, though the exact number depends on your circumstances and the fostering service's approach. The visits take place over several months and are spaced out to allow time for reflection in between. Each visit explores a different area of your life and builds gradually on the last, covering your background, relationships, health, lifestyle, parenting and your motivation to foster. Some visits will include everyone in the household, while others may be one to one. Meeting in your own home also allows your assessor to get to know your environment and see the space a child would live in.
Usually around eight to ten visitsSpread over several months for reflectionEach explores a different area of your lifeYes. Health and safeguarding checks are a core part of every Form F. You will have a medical examination, usually with your own GP, which is then reviewed by the fostering service's medical adviser to confirm you are well enough to care for a child over the long term. Alongside this, an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is carried out on you and on every adult in your household. Local authority and other statutory checks are also completed. These checks are not about finding reasons to say no; they are about making sure a child would be safe and well cared for, which is the priority throughout the whole assessment.
A medical, reviewed by a medical adviserEnhanced DBS checks on all adults in the homeStatutory and local authority checks tooThe assessment explores your life in real depth, because your experiences shape the care you can offer. You can expect to talk about your own childhood and upbringing, your family relationships past and present, your education and working life, and any significant events that have affected you, including loss, difficulty or times of change. You will also discuss your experience of caring for children and how you handle stress, conflict and challenging behaviour. Some of these conversations touch on personal and sometimes painful subjects, but they are approached with care and respect. Assessors are not looking for a perfect life story; they are looking for honesty, insight and resilience.
Your childhood, relationships and working lifeSignificant events, including loss and changeHandled with care, seeking honesty and insightVery detailed. The Form F is a thorough, analytical report that brings together everything gathered during the assessment into a full picture of you and your household. It covers your history, relationships, health, lifestyle, home, finances, parenting capacity and motivation to foster, alongside the outcome of your checks and references. Rather than simply listing facts, it weighs the evidence and explains why you would, or would not, make a suitable foster carer. This depth is deliberate, because the panel and the decision maker rely on the report to make a serious decision about the care of a vulnerable child, so it needs to be honest, balanced and evidence-based throughout. For a fuller overview of what the assessment involves at each stage, see our Fostering Assessment page.
A full, analytical picture of youCovers history, home, health, finances and moreWeighs evidence, not just lists factsIf you disagree with something in your report, raise it with your assessing social worker in the first instance. Where it is a factual error, it will be corrected. Where it is a matter of professional opinion, your assessor will explain their reasoning, but you do not simply have to accept it: you are entitled to have your own views recorded in the report, so the panel can see both perspectives. You can also attend panel and speak for yourself. If you remain unhappy, fostering services have a formal process for representations, and your assessor can explain how it works. The aim throughout is fairness, and a genuine disagreement should always be handled openly.
Factual points are correctedYour own views are recorded alongsideA formal process exists if needed