Skip to main content

Our assessment process

To foster with us you'll need to:

  • be 21 and over by the end of the assessment process. There is no upper age limit to foster

  • have a spare bedroom

  • have the time and availability to meet the needs of our children.

Learn more about fostering on our can I foster? page.

It usually takes between four and six months to become a foster carer.

You will learn more about fostering with Lancashire and we'll get to know you to make sure you are fully prepared and suitable to care for someone else’s child.

Start your fostering journey today and contact us via our enquiry form or call us on 0300 019 0200.

Your fostering journey

Hear Melissa talk through the fostering journey and what to expect when you join our fostering community.

Steps to foster

1
Enquiry

When you get in touch via the Foster with Us Hub, they’ll arrange a friendly chat within the next working day. A home visit usually follows the week after, so you can ask questions and find out more.

2
Application

If you decide to go ahead, a support worker will guide you through the application and help you complete it within around two weeks. With your permission, we’ll arrange all the required checks, including DBS and medicals, and we’ll cover the costs.

3
Training 

You’ll be offered a choice of dates to attend our welcoming three day Preparation to Foster course at County Hall in Preston, alongside tailored online learning to help you feel confident, informed, and prepared.

4
Assessment

You’ll be supported by an assessing social worker throughout your assessment. This usually takes around four months and includes home and virtual visits, as well as support from an experienced LCC foster carer mentor.

5
Approval

You and your social worker will attend panel together, where a recommendation is made. The final decision is then confirmed, usually within two weeks.

6
Ongoing support

Once approved, you’ll have a supervising social worker, and access to local support groups and family events, so you’re never on this journey alone.

If you are already fostering with another agency and looking to transfer then get in touch so that you can make the right decision for you and your fostering family. If you choose to transfer, as many carers are, we'll make the transfer as smooth as possible. Find out more about transferring agencies.