Fostering a newborn

[puddymuddles]

Hello, please be gentle I have no experience of fostering and am looking for experienced people to answer my questions.

I had always thought I would not be allowed to foster as we have no spare bedroom. DH and I live in a 2 bedroom flat and have 2 DDs of our own aged 3 and 16 months.

Yesterday I got chatting to a foster carer in a shop. She said I would be allowed to do short term care for a newborn as they consider you can put a newborn in your own bedroom so you don't need a spare room. Is this true?

If so, I would be interested in doing this, possibly when our own children are a bit older(!!). As it would involve giving up my part time job (I am a tutor working from home) I wondered if I would be paid much or would it just be expenses? I live in London btw.

[suzylee73]

I can only speak for the agency that I work for but they wouldn't allow you to foster at all without a spare bedroom. Newborn babies are rare and when they do come into fostering they could be there for a couple of years while court proceedings and other things happen. It's always worth asking the local authority on their view though :)

In my area the local authority carers get paid less but get the younger children and the agency carers get paid a lot more but often get more teenagers. This isn't always the case though, my youngest was 5 when she came and I did a mother and baby placement too.

I would guess that in London you would be looking at more than 300 a week. If your looking to be a foster carer as a career choice you will need a spare room. I moved to a bigger house which I couldn't afford with my foster carer allowances. I would say the money is good (I work for a private agency) but I could earn the same money working 9 to 5. What I'm trying to say is no one does it for the money because it's a hard job.

You could ring and ask them, they will be able to advise you and help you decide if fostering is for you :)

[scarlet5tyger]

Hi, I foster for my local authority - they wouldn't dream of placing a baby with an agency carer at the moment (they're not even using them for teenagers). They are also not recruiting for baby carers themselves - despite adverts stating the desperate need for foster carers (which is true) its not baby carers they're short of, it's older children and sibling groups. Also as Suzylee says, even a "short term" placement can be with you 18 months - 2 years. By which age they would definitely need their own room.

All areas are different though so it would definitely be worth giving your LA a ring - and things change all the time so circumstances might be different when this government is replaced...

[fasparent]

We have a full house, all Ex FC 6 in total also 2 new born's, been this way for some years, Some of our girls have many years experience in child care, so there is lots of support, With new born's think most LA's will look at long term experience of FP's because of the unexpected challenges and medical conditions that may be prevalent. ( is a special area in many ways ).
It is not easy with all medicals, midwife's, and health worker visits, reviews and placement meetings, plus adoption process's regulatory work, With as many as 8 contact visits a week. Can forget about money baby's are expensive as all mum's know. But we love it hope too carry on for some years

[Hels20]

puddymuddles - we adopted our DS who had lived with a foster family for 18 months or so and he slept in with foster mum and foster dad - they didn't have a spare room. It was in London.

It can be done though varies from LA to LA.

[puddymuddles]

Really helpful answers everyone. Thank you all. It seems as if rules vary from LA to LA as shown by Hels20 experience. Definitely something to look in to in the future. x

[DustyCropHopper]

Someone I know is cleared to foster to the age of 2 years as they do not have a spare room and that is the age they are allowed to share the FC's room.

[MerryInthechelseahotel]

Definitely changes from LA to LA. in ours you can have a child in your room until the child is two years old. I know ours still accept carers who will only take babies. There seem to be a lot of babies for fostering at the moment in our LA. some who are waiting to be born.

[LarrytheCucumber]

My DS and DiL have fostered two newborns. They have to have a room available for the baby, even though it sleeps with them for the first five or six months. suzylee sadly in this area newborns are not rare.