What skills you need
The Royal Borough of Greenwich welcomes carers from different nationalities, ethnicities and all walks of life.
To be considered as a foster carer, we look for the following skills and attributes:
- the ability to care for children and young people
- the ability to provide a safe and caring environment
- the ability to work as part of a team with the Council's fostering team and the child's family
- a commitment to training and personal development.
You can foster if you are:
- over 18 (you will need to show us that you are mature enough and have enough energy to do the fostering task)
- married, in a civil partnership, single, divorced, or living with a partner
- from any cultural, ethnic, religious or social background
- heterosexual, lesbian or gay
- living within a reasonable commuting distance from Greenwich
- living in accommodation with a spare room
- renting or a home owner with enough space to accommodate a child
- in good health
You don't have to be a parent although experience of caring for a child would be useful.
If you or a member of your household smokes, we would expect smoking to only take place outside your home and you won't be able to foster children under five years of age.
What can prevent fostering
You can't become a foster carer if:
- you have any offence against children
- if you are pregnant or have a baby under the age of two.
You may not be accepted for fostering if any of the following apply:
- you don't have a spare room for a child
- you are unable to show how you can manage the fostering task whilst being in a full or part time job (you need to show us that you have the time and the ability to meet the needs of foster children in your care)
- you speak limited English
- you have certain pets, including any animal registered under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 or any dog registered under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991
- you have a pond or other potentially unsafe equipment in and around the home.