These will stop me from being able to foster won't they?

[jswawsn]

I have (well managed) depression and PTSD. I take an antidepressant. I've never been hospitalised with this and I work, single parent etc. I'm only under the car of a GP, not the mental health services.

I have also been in debt in the recent past, but I am now debt free. I have struggled financially since covid, now doing better but have to carefully budget.

I work 12 hour shifts 3x per week in 6 week blocks for my university course.

I would like to foster a close family friend's child who will unfortunately be taken into foster care if I cannot have her.

I have a thriving DS, good family support and active member of the community.

Does it seem unlikely I'd be approved?

I’m not able to answer your question but I would like to think that because you know the child these things won’t mater as much. They will decide what is best for the child and what options are available. I don’t know of someone who fostered a friends child but it was a older child (young teen), they were not strict on their financial situation or anything else for that mater but it might be different for a young child.

I just wanted to wish you luck, it’s an amazing thing to offer to do.

Antidepressants will not bar you from fostering, neither will being a single parent necessarily. You need to ring social services and open a discussion with them about your situation and suitability.

The one thing that you will need to adequate child care/overnight provision for when you're on shifts - kinship care has slightly different criteria so do speak to social services

This isn't fostering its kinship care and the rules are much more lax.

Thank you everyone. It's the financial situation that worries me the most.