FAQs About Fostering

When you join Banya, you become part of a vibrant fostering family where you are treated as an individual. We know full well just how well supported carers can achieve positive outcomes for our children. Here is what you can expect when you join us at Banya:

• Your own dedicated Supervising Social Worker who will provide you with daytime support and professional advice. We always have a Duty Social Worker available for all out of hours support.
• Excellent training programme specially designed to provide you with the latest practice information and skills sets for further personal development. (Including NVQ)
• Monthly foster carer forums where you can interact and connect with other Banya carers.
• Access to a strong and well experienced management team
• Free half term activities for you, your birth, and foster children
• Annual summer day trips for the whole fostering household to exciting destinations in the UK
• Exciting annual end of year party and awards ceremony
• A fair and competitive allowance.
• Membership of the professional association for foster carers

As a foster carer your house must have enough space to provide each child (birth/fostered) with access to their own bedroom, regardless of their age. Technically, babies and toddlers under the age of two years old can sleep in the same bedroom as their main carer.

You do not need to be a British citizen to become a foster carer. However, you must be able to provide evidence of eligibility to live and work in the UK.

Having pets in the house is not necessarily a barrier to fostering. At Banya we know that pets can have positive therapeutic advantages for a foster child. However, some pets may pose a risk. We will carry out a pet risk safety assessment to ensure that all the pets in your home do not pose a risk to children.

We are unable to consider applications for potential foster carers who own a breed of dog registered under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991/1997

You can work if you are a foster carer. However during the periods when you have a placement, there will be some restrictions. Couples must work together as a team but at least one of you will stand in as the main carer, with the ability to be fully flexible.  Single foster carers can also do part-time work, and this should also be flexible.

Availability and flexibility is a very crucial requirement in your role as a foster carer as it allows you to fully accommodate the needs of the child, including meetings with your local support team or school, training sessions and other times that might need your full attention.

If you are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or questioning, we welcome your application. Your suitability assessment will be based on whether you are able to provide a secure home and meet the needs of the child.

You must be at least 21 years of age before we can process your application. There is no upper age limit. However, all our foster carers are legally required to pass periodic medical fitness tests.

Having a criminal record does not necessarily disqualify you from becoming a foster carer. However, our Agency Decision Maker ADM will carefully consider the circumstances around each application and decide. Essentially, the type of offence, convictions, how far back they span and guidance from the Disclosure Barring Service DBS with all be important factors to consider.

You do not need any special qualifications to foster. However, at Banya, we believe that there are specific skills and attributes that you will need to become a successful foster carer. Our highly specialised team of assessors will help identify your training needs and support you with the right training, custom made to build up your skills. You will also be invited to our introductory training  called ‘Skills to Foster’. This foster training is designed to give you a proper overview of the fostering world and help you decide whether fostering is for you.

When you apply to be a foster carer with Banya, we will take you through the following 3 stage process:

Enquiries Stage

• • A member of our team will call you over the phone and take you through a quick eligibility assessment.

Stage One

• • Involves an initial home visit and other face to face meetings, during which we gather information that we will use to create your family profile (Form F)

Stage Two

• • Will include further assessments with our expert Assessing Social Worker (ASW) who will complete your Form F and take you through to our Banya Fostering Panel for approval. Once approved, you will be assigned your own dedicated Supervising Social Worker (SSW) who will prepare you to start fostering your first young person.

The entire fostering assessment from start to finish may take between 5 – 8months. During this time we will conduct background checks such as DBS, Local Authority and Medical checks. We will also provide you with training and support and really get to know you better so that together we can lay a strong foundation for a successful fostering journey.

Fostering is a journey that involves the whole household, and it will naturally bring changes to your family dynamic. Your own children will share their home, toys, and your time with a foster child, which can be both an incredibly rewarding experience and a big adjustment. Many children who grow up in fostering families develop deep empathy, kindness, and life-changing friendships.

We know how important your own family’s well-being is. At Banya, we include your children in the initial assessment process to make sure they are completely happy and comfortable with the decision. Once you are approved, we actively include them in our foster care community, offering them their own support, activities, and a chance to meet other birth children from fostering families.