Here at Foster Wales, we strongly believe that fostering a child can be one of the most rewarding experiences in your life. But one question we get asked a lot is can you work and foster?
The simple answer is yes.
There are no restrictions against working adults also being foster carers. In fact, we’ve seen many foster parents in our community manage both full-time work and fostering, especially with the right support.
However, you must be able to provide the care and support the child needs. Whether you can work full time and be a foster parent depends entirely on:
- the type of fostering you do
- your availability
- your support network
- your employer and work flexibility
Ultimately, it’s about deciding whether working while fostering is right for you, and whether you can successfully do both.
Here, we help you do that with some insights into who can foster.
can you work and foster: what are the fostering requirements?
The primary focus of fostering is offering children a stable environment where they feel safe and loved. There’s no requirement stating that you should be a stay-at-home parent to be a foster carer.
Fostering is suitable for people with various lifestyles, and having a full-time or part-time job is possible. It’s just something you’d need to consider when deciding how to fit fostering into your life.
types of fostering for full-time workers
When considering working and fostering, there are some types of fostering which may fit better than others.
Types of fostering that require one member of the foster household to be at home include caring for babies and preschool children. Some fostering can also involve caring for children who are not in full-time education, or specialist areas of fostering, such as parent and child fostering, which require a high level of support and supervision.
Fostering older children who are in higher education might fit better with your work pattern.
Or, if you’re struggling to find a full-time job which can accommodate your foster care requirements, you can foster part time to offer other carers short breaks .
“I work for the Local Authority and thought I’d be able to provide part-time support to give other foster carers a break from their caring roles. I felt this would be something that I could fit around my work.” Foster Carer
Read more about the types of fostering.
your availability
Choosing to foster while you work full time means you’ll need to be flexible, full of energy, and easily adaptable to both change and unexpected challenges.
Being a great foster parent involves spending quality time with the children in your care, helping them with homework and teaching them other life skills.
In addition to the school run and juggling the usual sports or extra-curricular after-school clubs, children in care may have appointments and visits with family members. As a foster carer, you’ll also have regular visits from your supervising social worker , but these can often take place in the evening to suit foster carers who work.
Some foster carers choose to reduce their working hours or take a part-time or more flexible position. If your work involves night shifts, frequent travelling, or working away from home, you might need to give extra thought to the type of fostering you do and the support you need, or even whether this is the right time to foster.
“We do short breaks. Holidays, weekends, it’s anything from a couple of hours to a couple of weeks.” Kiri Pritchard McLean
Read more about short breaks.
your support network
Think also about the times when your foster children might be ill or on school holiday. Will you be able to work remotely and take care of them, or do you have a partner or close family member who can?
Foster children might also come from difficult backgrounds, have experienced trauma or have had fewer boundaries, meaning they show signs of challenging behaviour, which you should address in a supportive, positive way. This may mean not being able to rely on daycare or after-school care for children who have experienced a lot of change and disruption in their lives.
Within your household, a partner or your own older children can share the fostering responsibilities, as fostering is something you do as a family.
Your close friends and family can act as a reliable support network too.
Having a go-to person in your circle who can step in and look after your foster child in the moments you need a hand can make all the difference.
Forming connections with your local fostering community also goes a long way.
Whether it’s fellow foster carers, social workers, or your local fostering team, the people you meet will have valuable advice and support when you need it.
your employer and work flexibility
Another key element of determining whether you can work and foster is your employer.
Naturally, they would need to be understanding of your commitments, support your needs for flexibility, and give you grace should unexpected issues come up.
From scheduling your work hours around your foster child’s needs, to occasional changes to plans with little notice, make sure your employer is willing to accommodate your fostering needs before you decide whether you can work full time and be a foster parent.
More and more UK companies are joining the Fostering Friendly Scheme, pledging to support the fostering responsibilities of their team members. The scheme includes perks such as paid time off for any compulsory foster training, plus the equivalent of parental leave when you first welcome a foster child into your household.
Rhian Langham, Head of People at Admiral, said:
“We’re delighted to support our colleagues who wish to make a difference and change a child’s life, and we recognise the importance of supporting and retaining our valued people who may otherwise be facing the difficult decision to choose between work and foster caring.
“Foster carers make an extremely valuable contribution to the lives of children and young people in care, and we work hard to create a working environment that supports and understands their needs from the very first steps and throughout the foster caring journey. We’re committed to supporting our colleagues and are proud to be a family-friendly employer which continually looks at our offerings to ensure they apply to everyone.”
can fostering be a full-time job?
We find many people ask, ‘Will I be paid as a foster carer?’ and the answer is yes. However, we strongly believe the motivation to foster should not be about payment.
As a foster carer, you will receive financial support that ensures you can take care of everyday needs. Your fostering allowance is made up of two parts – the allowance you receive for each child you foster, plus an additional amount for yourself as a foster parent.
There is also substantial tax relief for foster carers, ensuring more of the money goes into looking after the young people. Plus, we offer other types of fostering support and rewards to help with the day-to-day and let you make some fun memories too.
There are opportunities to build a rewarding career in fostering. But if you’re interested in taking the first step in providing one of the growing numbers of children in foster care with a stable environment while also developing professionally in another role, combining work and foster care is possible.
foster and work full-time
When it comes down to who can foster, the key requirement is being able to provide practical and emotional support to the child in your care.
There are numerous benefits of fostering if you work full time – not just for yourself, but for the young people in your care. You’ll be a role model for them, preparing them for the moment they get their first job.
Plus, demonstrating other passions outside of fostering is a powerful inspiration for care-experienced young people to discover and pursue their own interests.
“I love my job. It’s important to me. I’m a different Jo when I go to work. It’s a bit of me-time, really. I will continue to work and foster for as long as I can.
The fostering team are also flexible and will work around my working hours and days off when it comes to reviews, meetings and all of the other things we do as foster carers!” – Jo, Foster Wales Wrexham
From helping you find the right balance between fostering and work to shaping a routine that works for you, we can support you on your fostering journey.
