The Fostering Application Process

Step 1. Initial Enquiry

You can request a Fostering Information Pack online. Alternatively you can call the recruitment team on 0800 9888 931 or 0161 860 7666

Step 2. Initial Details

Once you have made your initial enquiry and are ready to proceed with fostering, you will contact the recruitment team. They will have preliminary discussions with you about fostering, your personal circumstances, and will answer any queries that you may have.

We will then arrange for a supervising social worker to come and visit you (and your partner) at your home. This would usually be arranged for as soon as possible after the initial details telephone conversation.

Step 3. Initial Visit

A supervising social worker will come and visit you in your home and ask some further questions about your circumstances, as well as going into detail about what fostering is all about. This is your opportunity to ask as many questions as you like about fostering, and how it might affect you and your family.

The supervising social worker will also want you to show them around your home to check that it meets with the health and safety standards laid out in our guidelines. This visit usually takes around an hour, but can take longer depending on how many questions you want to ask!

Step 3. Skills to Foster Preparation Groups

During the preparation training you will learn about the background circumstances that can lead to children coming into foster care. You will also look at issues such as:

• Understanding how children feel when they are separated from their families
• How to provide safe care
• Child protection
• How to manage difficult behaviour
• Working with children's birth parents.

We will talk to you about the repercussions for children who have had previous damaging experiences. As well as telling you about the nature of the fostering task and what competencies you will need to become a foster carer.

You will also have the opportunity to meet experienced foster carers, and will be advised about the types of children Manchester Children's Services has who need foster care. There will be plenty of opportunities to ask questions, seek advice and we will provide plenty of information for you to read.

If after this you decide that fostering is for you, we will ask you to complete an application form about yourself and all other members of your household and return this to us so we can start your fostering assessment.