A Guide to Becoming a Foster Carer in 2026

You don’t need a qualification or degree to be a foster carer despite what you may believe. It’s great if you have a background working with children, but this doesn’t need to be professional. Being a parent or having experience with children of close friends or family is perhaps the best thing you can have, as you’ve got actual hands-on experience of taking on a parenting role, which is what fostering is all about. Although you won’t replace a foster child’s parent, you will care for them as one of your own temporarily. If you don’t have your own children, you should have some kind of experience working with children. This could be babysitting, childminding, or working in a children’s hospital or nursery, just to name a few. You could also be a foster carer if you regularly care for a family member or friend's children.

Your home setting needs to be suitable for raising foster children. This means you should have access to a spare room, as foster children should have their own space. If you have more than one spare room, you may be able to foster more than one child. Every child over the age of 3 will need their own room, even if they are siblings (although there can be exceptions to this rule).

It’s OK to have a job while fostering a child. There is a lot of flexibility, and as long as you and your family can make it work, you can foster a child. You will get a fostering allowance for each child that you look after. If you don’t have a job and are receiving benefits, this won’t be affected by your allowance. The allowance is used to cover everything a foster child needs, such as food and clothing. When you contact a fostering agency, they can provide you with advice and up-to-date information regarding foster care pay.

If you want to become a foster carer, get in touch with a fostering agency in your local area. You can usually do this online by completing a form. They will then contact you to discuss the process further and get the ball rolling. Making a difference in a child’s life is a rewarding way to spend your time, especially if you love being a stay-at-home parent. The UK always needs foster carers, so get in touch with a fostering agency today.