Fostering with a disability

Fostering is extremely rewarding and we strongly believe that anyone who is willing to foster and is interested in fostering has a highly valuable set of skills and experiences to share. However, as you are being entrusted with the care of a vulnerable child there are certain requirements that you must be able to meet in order to qualify to become a foster carer. In the case of disabilities, the nature of your condition will determine whether you can or can’t foster. Read on to find out more.

Having a chronic illness or disability will not prevent you from becoming a foster carer

Can I foster with a disability?

When applying to become a foster carer, both your physical health and mental health is considered, however, there are a number of other elements that we take into account when considering your application.

We prioritise the safety of the children in care, and the health and safety of our carers, that is why it is so important that you are physically able to carry out all of the daily activities that will be required of you, such as doing the school run, preparing meals, taking part in activities and all of the other everyday demands that are involved in looking after a child. Having a chronic illness or disability will not prevent you from becoming a foster carer, however, if you’re not able to carry out these daily activities then it is likely your application to foster will be affected.

Will fostering affect my disability benefits?

When you foster, your fostering allowance isn’t classed as income for the purpose of calculating benefits which includes income support, working tax credits, child tax credit, housing benefit, council tax reduction, universal credit and the disability living allowance (DLA). However, if you would like more information on this, then we advise you to contact our team today.

Fostering with mental health issues

Similarly to having a disability, having mental health issues will not prevent you from fostering. Our team will assess your suitability for the role by speaking with you directly, finding out more information about your specific condition and then deciding whether now is the right time for you to embark on your foster care journey. As mentioned, the wellbeing and safety of both foster carer and child is paramount, if you would like to find out more about how your mental health condition will impact your application, then get in touch with us today and our friendly team will be happy to help.

We hope that this blog has shed some light on fostering with disabilities and mental health issues. As we have seen, having a disability or any mental health issue does not necessarily mean you will be automatically ruled out from becoming a foster carer. We recognise that the unique experiences and skills of all of our foster carers can prove to be highly valuable to children and that is why we encourage applicants from all backgrounds. If you are interested in fostering and feel you are able to cope with the demands physically and mentally, then that is enough to get the ball rolling and submit your application.