A new career choice can be scary but don’t worry, we will support you every step of the way. It is normal to have lots of questions about the fears and uncertainties around caring for children within your own home. All of our carers have been where you are now as you prepare to take your first steps as a professional Foster Carer. You will get all the necessary skills, training, and support that you need for a long and fulfilling career.
We have a comprehensive training program to help build your skills and experience
We carefully match all children's needs to each family to achieve long-term placements
You will be fully supported by your individual supervising social worker and the professional fostering and therapy teams
You will be rewarded with an unrivalled financial package to reflect the professional level of care that you provide
1.
A friendly member of our team will visit you
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You will be guided through a full assessment
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Get the training you need to become a foster carer
GUIDE
See the salaries, requirements and process so you can stop feeling apprehensive and instead focus on preparing for your new career in fostering.
Fostering can be one of the most rewarding careers but working with children who experienced trauma at an early age also comes with its challenges.
Here at Channels & Choices, we are an independent fostering agency in Kent, providing a therapeutic approach to fostering to ensure that we achieve long-lasting placements by delivering the highest level of support for our children and foster carers.
On average it can take four to six months from your initial enquiry to being approved as a foster carer
There is no upper age limit for fostering, but you need to be fit enough to care for the children. There is not a defined age at which you can begin fostering but it is important that you have the life experience and maturity to cope with the responsibility.
A criminal conviction doesn’t automatically rule you out of fostering, but you must declare all the details to us from the outset of your application. An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be carried out on you and anyone else in the household aged 17 or over. There are certain serious offences and offences against children which would prevent you from fostering.
No, qualifications are not required, we will provide training and support during your application and throughout your fostering journey. However it would be useful if you have experience in looking after or working with children
Our requirement at Channels & Choices is that at least one foster carer in the household should be at home on a full time basis. This is to ensure that a child or young person in your care is looked after in the best way possible. If there are any periods whereby you do not have a child in placement we are able to offer work within our therapeutic residential houses which is a great way to build the skills and knowledge for working with children
Most families at Channels & Choices are approved to care for 1 or 2 children although we do have some families approved for 3. Your approval would depend on the space in your home as each child would require their own bedroom
Yes you can foster a child if you are not in a relationship. If you’ve only been in a relationship for a short time and are considering fostering as a couple, we’d suggest that you are in a stable situation for at least 12-18 months before you start the fostering process
Yes. Sexual orientation and/or gender is not a deciding factor on whether you can foster a child. You need to be able to meet our fostering requirements and provide a safe and loving home to a child
We do accept foster parents that smoke. However, at Channels & Choices we would not approve for you to foster any children under the age of 5 if you or your partner are smokers. The health of the children in your care will always be our priority and if you do smoke it will be a requirement that you do not smoke in your home or in your car.
No, you can foster if you own or rent a house. Each child will need their own room and a place to play and study.
Yes you can. As a parent it is important to consider the impact of fostering a child as a part of your family. This would be explored further with you
DOWNLOAD
A simple guide to the fostering financial package and more.
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