Can single people foster?
Single people can absolutely foster. You can be female, male, or non-binary, and gay, bisexual, or straight. Some single foster parents also have children of their own.
As a single person, there are some things you'll need to consider when deciding whether you're ready to foster, including;
- Availability – whether you have the time to meet the needs of a child in care, including school runs, meetings and training, and how this may fit in with other work commitments.
Support network – your wider support network outside of ISP and making sure that your immediate family and friends are on board and supportive of your decision to foster.
Financial stability – whether you’ll be financially stable during short periods where you may not be caring for a child and therefore not receiving an income from fostering.
If you're interested in fostering, then we'd always recommend you speak to us - we'll have an informal chat about your personal circumstances, answer any questions and give you all the information you need to make a decision about whether fostering is right for you.
Can you foster if you live alone?
Absolutely, we have many single foster parents that do tremendous work with the children in their care, and sometimes, there are foster children with complex needs that would benefit more from a quieter home with one-to-one support.
What’s important to us is that you’re able to care for the child, so we look at your availability, wider support network and financial stability to ensure you can meet all the child’s needs.
Can a single man foster children?
Men make fantastic foster parents and can be positive role models for both boys and girls who may have grown up with an abusive or absent father figure. We're always here to help you on your fostering journey.
Can a single woman do foster care?
As long as you have a spare bedroom, the right skillset and can provide a stable, loving home for a vulnerable child, we’d love to speak to you about starting your fostering journey today.
24/7 support for single foster carers
Working with children with complex needs can be extremely rewarding, but we also know it can be challenging at times too, especially as a single foster parent.
Over many years in this specialist field, we’ve developed what we call ‘wrap-around’ care, giving you 24/7 access to expert professional support, including therapists, social workers, fostering advisors and educational experts. You won’t always need it, but it’s good to know that when you do, it’s there.
We also recognise the importance of having regular contact with other foster parents, where you can share experiences and receive guidance and support from others in a similar position. We arrange regular foster parent lunches, reflective groups and events for children and young people, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to spend time with other foster families.
Become a single foster parent
The first step is to fill out our online form and we’ll be in touch to talk to you about the role, answer any questions and take a few details from you to check you meet the initial criteria to foster.
We’ll then arrange to visit you at home, so you can learn more about the work we do and give us the opportunity to get to know you better. You’ll then complete an application form and if accepted, you’ll start your full fostering assessment.
Do I need any experience to become a foster parent?
While experience with children is beneficial, it’s not essential as our preparatory training course will provide you with the skills and knowledge you need to care for a child. Plus, with our professional circle of support - including social workers, therapists, fostering advisors, advisory teachers and other foster carers - you’re never more than a phone call away from specialist advice.
Some of our foster parents have previous experience with young people, either through work or bringing up children of their own. Others don’t have any previous experience but hold a strong desire to make a difference.
Do I need a spare bedroom to foster?
Yes, you’ll need to have a spare bedroom to foster a child in the UK - this is set out in the National Minimum Standards for fostering where it states that every child in the foster home over the age of 3 should have their own bedroom.
Can I still work and be a foster parent?
It’s possible to work and foster, however, it’s completely dependent on your personal circumstances and so we always recommend that individuals speak to one of our fostering advisers to understand whether we can make it work.
Some of the things we’ll explore include:
- Are you applying as a single applicant or do you have a partner who can help with the day-to-day fostering duties?
- How many hours you’ll be working while you’re fostering?
- Can your employer be flexible around working hours, annual leave and unexpected meetings or emergencies?
- Are you a home-based worker?
- Are you self-employed?
How old do you have to be to foster?
Foster carers must be at least 21 years old – this is a requirement that’s shared across all fostering services in the UK.
Can you foster if you have pets?
Yes, you can absolutely foster if you have pets – in fact, there are some fantastic therapeutic benefits of having pets in the foster home and we often see great companionship between pets and children in care.
We do have to make sure that pets have a suitable temperament to be around children and visitors in the home so that we can ensure the safety of the young people we place in your care.
Please note, we cannot accept applications from anybody who has a banned breed in the UK, as part of the Dangerous Dog Act.
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