What Disqualifies You from Fostering in Scotland?

Reasons for disqualification from fostering

At FCA Scotland, we like to keep things simple. That’s why we’ve chosen eight of the most pressing questions about what could disqualify you from fostering, with details about why and how particular issues could impact your application.

Can you foster without a spare bedroom?

To become a foster parent, you must have a spare bedroom – this is one of the initial requirements, and we won’t be able to continue with your application unless you have one.

Just imagine if you were a child moving into care, you’re scared and confused and then learn that you have to share a bedroom with strangers. You probably wouldn’t feel safe, and you’d struggle to relax, all while trying to make sense of your circumstances.

Foster children need a place within your home that’s truly theirs, somewhere they can go to at the end of a long day to decompress, and a space they can make their own and block out the rest of the world when things feel too much.

If you don’t have a spare bedroom now, you can still apply to foster in the future if your circumstances change and a bedroom becomes available within your home.

Can you become a foster carer with a criminal record?

If you have a criminal record, it won’t automatically disqualify you from fostering. We assess every application on a case-by-case basis, considering the seriousness of the crime and the length of time that has passed since it happened.

During your fostering assessment, every person in your home over the age of 16 will have a PVG check, as well as anyone in your support network who’ll spend time with children in your care.

If you have a minor conviction, we’ll work with you to understand what happened and why before deciding whether to continue with your application. For example, if something happened in your teens or early twenties and you’re now in your 40s or 50s, and have no recent convictions on your record, we’ll consider this. However, if we find violent crimes, sexual offences, or crimes against children during your PVG check, you’ll automatically be disqualified from fostering.

The most common reasons children move into care are abuse and neglect, and our PVG checks safeguard children from experiencing anything like this again.

Can you foster after your child was taken into care?

If you’ve had your own children taken into care, it’s important to be honest about this during your application.

As part of our checks and references, we liaise with local authorities to see whether you’ve had any contact or interactions with social services in the past ten years, and sometimes more.

We aren’t here to judge, and our assessment process isn’t designed to catch you out. Everything we ask for and consider helps us understand your suitability to foster.

Can you foster if you’re recovering from addiction?

If you have a history of addiction, it doesn’t mean we’ll automatically reject your application. In fact, overcoming addiction demonstrates your resilience and strength, skills that will help you on your fostering journey.

However, if you’ve only recently started recovering or are still struggling with addiction, then you would be disqualified from fostering until you’re in good health.

Many children and young people have lived in homes where addiction affected the care they received and made them unsafe. We need to make sure we don’t put children and young people who’ve already had terrible experiences at risk again.

Can pets prevent you from fostering?

Fostering with pets can be incredibly beneficial for children in care. They offer comfort, teach children about responsibility, and can even reduce the chance of them developing certain allergies.

During your assessment, we’ll conduct pet checks to make sure any animals in your home are safe to live alongside children. If they aren’t, then we won’t be able to continue with your application unless you rehome them.

You’ll also automatically be disqualified from fostering if you have a banned dog breed as listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, and refuse to relinquish them. These include:

• Pit Bull Terrier
• Japanese Tosa
• Dogo Argentino
• Fila Brasileiro
• XL Bully

Does being in debt stop you from fostering?

Fostering is open to everyone; you don’t have to be wealthy to change children’s lives because at FCA Scotland, you’ll receive a generous fostering allowance.

Our fostering payments cover the costs of caring for a child, while also rewarding you for everything you do every day. However, you’ll only receive this allowance while you have a child in your care, which means we need the assurance that you’ll still be able to make ends meet if you were to experience a gap in caring for a child.

We also need to make sure that your finances are stable so you can provide foster children with everything they need and not feel stretched financially while doing so. This means that if you have any large debts that make it difficult for you to keep up with general bills and expenses, you might be disqualified from fostering until your finances are in better shape.

Can you foster if you have health issues?

Having a disability or mental health condition will not automatically prevent you from opening your home to vulnerable children and young people.

As part of the process to become a foster parent, you’ll have a medical with your GP to make sure you’re well enough to keep up with the demands of caring for a child. We also do this to safeguard you, as we wouldn’t want fostering to put your health at risk either.

If you’re struggling to manage your condition, then your application could be rejected until you’re in better health. But if you have symptoms under control and feel well in yourself, it’s unlikely that your health condition will prevent you from fostering.

Can you work full-time while fostering?

While you can work while fostering, whether it’s feasible or not depends on the flexibility of your employer and how many hours you work. Part of your role as a foster parent is to be available to take your child to appointments, school, and family time meetings. You’ll also need to be available for training, supervision meetings, and to care for your foster child during the school holidays.

If you are applying to foster as a couple, then one of you may still be able to work full-time if the other is available to fulfil the responsibilities of a foster parent.

Need to continue working full-time? We offer different types of fostering that may be easier to fit around your employment. For instance, if you’d like to provide occasional care at weekends or while other foster parents take a well-deserved break, respite care could be the ideal kind of fostering for you.

Respite care is usually organised in advance, and you’ll still make a huge difference to children, especially if you provide regular care, as you’ll become like an extended family.