Your questions

You can apply to become a foster carer if you are 21 years or over. Although this is the minimum age to apply we want to ensure prospective foster carers have sufficient life experience before making such a big life changing decision.

Private fostering occurs when a parent makes arrangements for their child to be cared for by someone other than themselves for more than 28 days. This includes extended family, for example a cousin, a great aunt or great uncle, a great grandparent; or a family friend. It does not include close blood relatives: a grandparent, brother, sister, uncle or aunt (whether full blood or half blood or by marriage or civil partnership) or a step-parent. A child is considered to be anyone under the age of 16, or a disabled young person under 18.

We always want to talk with potential foster carers. Additionally, if you or someone you know currently fosters with an independent fostering agency they can transfer to us. If you are a foster carer with Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council or you are an RMBC employee, there is a cash incentive Foster Carer Referral Scheme.

Level 4 carers, previously Foster Plus carers, foster children with additional needs. Level 4 carers, undergo specialist training to gain the skills and knowledge to carry out therapeutic parenting.

There are many misconceptions about who can or cannot become a foster carer. Here, we’ve put together some of the most common ones that people ask us about.

Like all children, every foster child is different. Many foster children have unfortunately had negative or traumatic experiences, which can lead to some challenging behaviours or mental health difficulties. All our foster carers receive training on how to manage different behaviours.

Welcoming a foster child into your home will be one of the more rewarding things you will ever do. However, there can be bumps in the road as you build a relationship with your foster child. Your social worker will work closely with you throughout the whole journey to ensure that both you and your foster child are happy in your home.

On average our foster carers earn £428 per week. However, the actual amount you will earn depends on a few things like how many children you have on placement in your home, their ages and other factors.

Your children are an important part of the assessment process, and we make sure that we take their thoughts and needs into account when placing a foster child into your home.

At Fostering Rotherham, we have 3 'Mockingbird Hubs'. These are groups of foster carers and social workers who are there to support each other and host events, based on the geographical location.

Children usually leave care when they’re 18 years old, but in some cases a foster child may remain with their foster family beyond childhood.

When you adopt a child, you become their legal parents; when you foster a child, you’re working with your local authority to take care of them in your home, whether that be short or long term.

A foster carer is someone who looks after children who can’t be looked after by their birth families. Foster carers provide day-to-day care for children and young people supporting their educational, health and social well being.

There is no exact recipe for making the perfect foster carer, as long as they have the capacity to support and care for a foster child in a loving home with patience, openness and a good sense of humour.

In order to find safe and appropriate foster homes in Rotherham for the children in our care, there is an application process all potential foster carers must follow…

There is a lot of information about fostering available out there and if you’re new to fostering, there may be some terms you don’t recognise. Here is a glossary of some of our key fostering terms.

We have a Privacy Notice policy which explains how we use information about you and how we protect your privacy. Please see the service specific privacy notices for more information about who we may receive information from, share your information with and why we may need to share information.

Fostering a child has to be at the right time for you and your family. A lot of our foster carers have found that the right time for them came when they had some free time in their lives and space in their home. Many foster carers decide it's the right time for them when they want to spend more time at home with their own children or make a real difference in their community.

Each child in foster care will have a different story. Some children might have experienced abuse or neglect, or some families might have a long-term illness, mental health, or addiction issues, which means that they can’t properly look after their child all the time. It’s our job to make sure that we can give each child the safe and supportive family they deserve

This depends on what type of foster care is appropriate for you and your family…

Many of our foster carers work with us for a number of years, but your circumstances might change so that fostering isn’t right for you anymore...

Choosing to become a foster carer is a big decision...

If a foster child has minor behavioural difficulties, your social worker will have discussed this with you before they become a part of your family...

As a foster carer in Rotherham, you will be eligible for some great local and national discounts for you and your family.

Foster children with severe mental health difficulties will be placed with more experienced foster carers who have received specialised training with Foster Plus.

If a foster child has additional needs such as a disability, they will be placed with a specially trained, more experienced foster carer, as part of Foster Plus.

An IFA is an independent fostering agency, which is a private company offering fostering services. When you decide to become a foster carer, it is worth researching whether fostering with a Local Authority or with an IFA is right for you.

We’re always happy to welcome new foster carers, especially if you already have some experience. We’ll be able to help you through the process all the way even if you already have a foster child in your home.

We will always welcome new foster carers, as Rotherham needs to find carers and homes for up to 800 foster children.

We will give you as much information as we can about potential foster children. We will always try to find the best fit for everyone, based on a foster child’s individual needs, and what kind of care you’re best equipped to give.