Housing Status

[braveheart2020]

Does your housing status matter if you live alone?

Does the housing condition have to be a certain criteria?

Does childs bedroom need to be a certain size older more space required?

[Tacca]

Does your housing status matter if you live alone? I am not sure if you mean can you foster as a single parent, if so yes. If you mean can it be rented, then it can but you are expected to have an income outside of fostering.

Does the housing condition have to be a certain criteria? They just have to be safe, clean and the foster child needs their own room if they are over 2. (Foster siblings can share with each other only)

Does childs bedroom need to be a certain size older more space required? Only within reason, a room with space for a single bed, wardrobe & chest of drawers should be sufficient, any smaller you would need to check with your council/agency.

[braveheart2020]

Income has to be national minimum wage level? What if you have over £16000 in savings would you qualify?

[Tacca]

I am not sure of the exact rules, but what they explained to us was that people should have enough of an income that they can pay their bills without taking in to account anything they get from fostering.

Their worry is that if it isn't the case, the money you receive for the child may not be spent on them.

[braveheart2020]

I see do they take savings and assets into consideration? Your partners income?

[NWGreenhalgh]

Every LA/agency will be slightly different, but they will usually go pretty in-depth into your monetary situation to make sure that you can afford to support yourself and your family in any times when you dont have a placement.

Saving will be taken into consideration and it often works well if your partner continues to work so that there is still a source of income other than fostering.

No hard and fast rules here, so it's worth discussing in more detail with the agency or your LA.