Advice of first assessment please.

[questio]

Hi
I have thought about fostering for some time now, my eldest 3 children are now adults and live independently with partners leaving just my youngest son of 7 years home. I am a single parent and have a spare room, I have a degree in youth and family studies, worked with teens with emotional and behavioural difficulties in a range of settings over the years, so lots of experience, I would hope to foster teens. However the closer the assessment is getting the more nervous I am becoming as I have not had the most straightforward past, my 4 children all have different fathers as I just have never been able to settle with a man, my first two children I was 16 and 18 years old when I had them, I was a naive teen and believed their fathers every word however once babies were born they were gone like the dust. I thought I met MR right when I was 22 and again not long after became pregnant with my third who is now 19 years old, my relationship with her father ended as he became violent so I left him after the first violent episode, I then raised my children alone and was (always was) a fantastic mother. When I turned 35 I met a man and after a year fell pregnant with my now 7 year old, his dad is not and never has been in the picture, I later found out he was already in a relationship and lied to me also. I've been single since and very happy, financially secure and decided to refrain from intimate relations which makes me very happy. My question is will my past go against me for fostering? I feel I have a lot to give a child in foster care and lots of experience working with young people with very challenging behaviours, my home is full of love and I so much miss the hustle and bustle of a full household, working in residential children's home I just think they would do much better in a family environment and that's my reason for applying but now I have the ball rolling getting really nervous about how I will be judged on how I birthed my own children?

[f0stercarer]

Your wounds and scars will help you to understand and cope with children who have issues. The perception that only "squeaky clean" backgrounds are suitable for fostering is inaccurate. Lay everything out open and honestly and let things take their course.