Fostering a child I teach - apologies if this is a stupid question!

[WiderBertha]

Hello all,

I am a Reception teacher of 12 years and have a looked after child in my class. I have formed a lovely bond with him and he's settled in beautifully.

He is currently being cared for by an elderly couple who are wonderful caregivers but they have decided their age is becoming too much of an issue and the arrangement will be coming to an end soon, although I'm not sure if theres a time frame in mind.

He has been through so much in his short little life, I would love to think I could offer him some stability, love and consistency. I have a primary age son and I am a single parent.

Although I have taught many LAC over the years, I have no idea whether I would be considered a potential carer for a child I currently teach or whether there are reasons I'm not aware of that would mean I wouldn't be suitable.

Any advice is most welcome. Apologies for being clueless!

Have you been approved or undergone the training/research to be a foster carer?

No, absolutely no idea about anything yet! I was just wondering if I would fall at the first hurdle as he is a pupil.

I don't think there's any reason why you can't. My old HT was going to adopt a child from school although it fell through for various reasons I won't go into. It wasn't a non-starter though.

I have read a fair bit about fostering, but not taken anything further at this point

The first thing to do is to talk to social services. They will be able to tell you much more about the process and if it's even feasible.

The second thing is to think with your head, can you commit to 14+ years otherwise he'll need rehousing again. Is this a knee jerk reaction or something you would consider for another child?

I do think it could be a good thing to do but it's a long process, can they even make it happen?

It can take up to 7 or even 8 months for Foster Carers to be approved and it is a very invasive process. Until you have approval you won't be considered. How quickly does he need to move placement?

I'm not sure of details yet, I just wanted a little advice as to whether it would be worth starting to look into it. Thank you all for your help!