Recruitment & Assessement

Woodside welcomes applications to become foster carers from people with experience of caring for children and who can offer a secure and stable environment. Applicants can be male or female, single, married or living together. Families do not need to have a massive 'designer' house. Neither do they need to own their own home. However, a spare room is necessary as the children placed through Woodside (except siblings) need to have their own bedroom.

The process to become an approved foster carer can be quite lengthy, usually taking up to 6 months. Initially, families are interviewed on an informal basis, to help them and the agency consider their suitability to become a foster carer. After this, if the family and Woodside decide to proceed, completion of the 'Form F Assessment' is started.

The assessment process will involve the commissioning of a variety of suitability checks, a health assessment and references. Applicants will be interviewed on approximately ten occasions by an assessing social worker who will consider their suitability as carers in an in-depth manner. In addition to this all applicants are expected to attend the comprehensive foster carer training course provided by Woodside. Ongoing training will be provided in order to enhance skills, learning and ability.

At the end of the process, the Form F Report will be presented to the Woodside fostering panel by the assessing Social Worker. You are entitled to accompany the Social Worker to the Panel if you choose to do so. The Panel then makes a recommendation for your approval which Paul Mills as the Woodside Registered Provider will then verify.

Following approval Woodside will begin to look at the children and young people referred to find a suitable placement for you. When a suitable 'match' has been found, your Form F will be dispatched to the relevant authority for consideration.

Please see the details on our 'contact us' page should you wish for further information through an informal telephone conversation, or to contact us via e-mail or in writing.