Skip to main content
N I Direct government services

Main navigation

  • Home
  • News
  • Contacts
  • Help
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Family, home and community
  3. Parenting and childcare
  4. Adoption, fostering and children in care
  5. Fostering

Becoming a foster/ kinship foster carer

Fostering provides care for children looked after by social services because they cannot live with their own families. Through fostering, a child lives in a loving, safe and stable home for as long as they need.

Foster/ kinship carers 

There is no maximum age limit for being a foster/ kinship foster carer. You can apply to be a foster/ kinship carer:

  • if you have or don't have your own children 
  • if you're single, married or live with a partner
  • if you're employed or out of work
  • if you live in your own home or rent
  • whatever your race, religion or sexuality

Applying to be a foster/ kinship carer

If you are interested in becoming a foster/ kinship foster carer, contact your local fostering service.

This can either be the social services department in your local Trust, Health and Social Care (HSC) NI Adoption and Foster Care, or an independent fostering agency.

They will explain what is involved and will help you decide whether fostering is right for you and your family.

Following some training, you will be asked to complete an application to foster. At this stage you will be asked for a medical with your GP. Some safeguarding checks including an Access NI check and a social services check will be carried out. You will also be asked to provide references.

A social worker will complete an assessment of you and your family. It is a thorough process but is necessary for the safety and welfare of any child that might be placed with you. At any stage of the process you are free to withdraw your application.

The fostering team may also feel unable to go ahead with your application. They'll give give you reasons for their decision.

Finally, your application will be sent to a fostering panel who will recommend whether you can become a foster/ kinship foster carer.

HSC NI Adoption and Foster Care

The five Health and Social Care (HSC) Trusts have responsibility for the welfare of all Looked After Children in Northern Ireland. Each Trust provides a vital fostering service to the people in their community. Together, the five Trusts’ fostering services are supported by HSC NI Adoption and Foster Care.

HSC foster carers in Northern Ireland are made up of emergency, short term, longer term, kinship and short break foster carers.

To find out more about becoming a foster/ kinship foster carer, go to:

  • HSC NI Adoption and Foster Care

Independent fostering 

There are also independent fostering providers that provide fostering services in Northern Ireland, including Barnardo’s, Kindercare Fostering Northern Ireland, Action for Children and Foster Care Associates Northern Ireland.

  • Barnardo's
  • Action for Children
  • Kindercare Fostering Northern Ireland
  • Foster Care Associates Northern Ireland 

More useful links

  • Fostering Network Northern Ireland
  • Fostering Services 
  • Kinship Care NI website
Share this page Share on Facebook (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share on Twitter (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share by email (external link opens in a new window / tab)

Fostering

  • Becoming a foster/ kinship foster carer
  • Training and financial support for foster/kinship foster carers
  • Types of fostering

Translation help

How to translate this page

Help improve this page - send your feedback

What do you want to do?
Report a problem
Which problem did you find on this page? (Tick all that apply)

Messages

You will not receive a reply. We will consider your feedback to help improve the site.

Don't include any personal or financial information, for example National Insurance, credit card numbers, or phone numbers.

What is your question about?

What to do next

Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk 

If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.  Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

Carer's Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912
Email 
dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

Call 0800 587 2750 
Email 
customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

Disability Living Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912 
Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Employment and Support Allowance

Call 0800 587 1377

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

Personal Independence Payment

Call 0800 587 0932

If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) section, then for queries about:

  • Restrictions or regulations — contact the Department of Health
  • Travel advice (including self-isolation) — contact the Department of Health
  • Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations — contact the Department of Health or Public Health Agency

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme,  email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

For queries about:

  • Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
    contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
     
  • Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
    contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

 

For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about  60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.

If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly.  We don't have access to information about you.

Related sites

  • gov.uk
  • nibusinessinfo.co.uk

Links to supporting information

  • Accessibility statement
  • Crown copyright
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS