Can you work and foster?

Is fostering a job? Can you foster and work? These are two of the most common questions people ask regarding starting a career in fostering. However, is often dependent on the individual circumstances of the carer, for example, if you are fostering as a single parent or as a couple, or the demands required from your workplace. As fostering is considered as a career, it’s likely that working outside the home may not be necessary. Learn more about if you can work and foster from our detailed guide.

Is fostering a job?

Yes – fostering is considered as a full-time job. When you become a foster carer, your main priority and responsibility is to the child in care – ensuring that they have the physical and emotional support that they need. This is why foster care is often considered as a career – meaning that by continuing to work alongside fostering, this could be thought to compromise the stability of the home offered to a child in care.

However, it is important to note that by fostering, you are likely to experience various placements, which means there may be periods of time where you do not have a foster placement. During this time, there will also be no fostering allowance payments. That’s why fostering as a couple may work well – with one parent fostering and one parent working full time – as this could allow you more flexibility around the prospect of working while fostering.

Can single parents work and foster?

This is often dependent on various factors – such as the nature of the work, and the demands that are expected with the job. It’s possible to foster and work as a single parent – but the child’s needs and requirements must always come first. If you are in a career which is time-demanding, will not allow you to be flexible and needs your full attention consistently, it’s likely you will not be able to continue working in this job if you want to foster. Learn more about fostering as a single parent from our informative guide.

Can couples foster and work?

Fostering as a couple allows for more flexibility than fostering as a single parent would. This flexibility could be used in order to support one another regarding caring for the foster child, but it could also be used to help support fostering and working. One parent may be able to work outside the home while the other parent can be on hand to care for the foster child. However, if you both wanted to become full time foster carers instead, this is also possible – as it means you are both on hand to be able to deal with the child’s needs in the most effective way possible.

Looking for more information on whether you can work and foster? Get in touch with a member of our team of experts. Here at FosterCare UK, we’re on hand to provide the fostering support and advice regarding fostering as a career you need, while also answering any other questions you may have.