Who can foster

We're looking for people with patience, kindness, and compassion. You'll need to be dedicated to providing a high level of care to the child we place with you.

It's important to remember that:

  • you do not have to be a parent or have parenting experience to foster
  • you do not have to be in a relationship or cohabiting
  • we welcome people of all backgrounds and lifestyles to become a foster carer.

Find out more about our fostering criteria relating to your:

  • age
  • health
  • ability to drive
  • employment
  • home
  • background checks.

Your age 

You must be over the age of 21 to foster.

There's no upper age limit. We have foster carers of many different ages and backgrounds.

Your health

You can foster if you have a disability or mental health condition. We'll discuss this with you during the assessment period.

If you’re capable of taking care of a child and offering a caring home, then your disability or mental health condition will not be a barrier to fostering.

Your driving ability

Having a driving licence and access to your own vehicle is useful for taking your foster child to school and appointments.

If you cannot drive, we'll accept applications if:

  • you can let us know how you'd make good use of public transport links to get your foster child to school and appointments
  • you're being supported by a friend, partner, or family member who can drive.

Your employment

You can be in employment and foster if your work allows you the flexibility needed to take care of a child and take them to and from school.

Fostering allowances

You'd be paid a fostering allowance, which covers the extra household and general costs of having a young person living with you, any special expenses involved in their care and rewards your work as a professional foster carer.

The fees received weekly would depend on the age and needs of the child in your care. A full breakdown can be found on our fees and allowances page.

Additional monies are provided for the child’s birthday, festivals, and emergencies.

Your home

You'll need a spare room in your home to foster a child.

We can accept an application from you if you would like to foster infants or toddlers up to the age of 3, as they would stay in your room in a cot.

You do not need to own your property to foster. You can be renting or living with others, but we'll also have to carry out assessment checks on those you are living with.

Living in Medway

You do not need to live in Medway to foster for us. We accept applications from across Kent.

Please be aware that the child we place with you will most likely be from Medway, meaning you'll need to take them to and pick them up from a Medway school daily.

Background checks

We carry out police checks as part of all our assessments. 

Some convictions would mean you are not eligible to foster, but not all. You can contact us to discuss any convictions by emailing fcrecruitment@medway.gov.uk.

We'll pay for your Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and other any other checks.

Assessment period

The assessment period can take between 4 and 8 months due to the level of checks we need to do.

This includes comprehensive training to make sure you feel fully prepared for your role.

Contact us for more information

If you have any questions about your ability to become a foster carer, you can get in touch for a friendly, informative chat.

You can: