Fostering Myths You Might Not Know
Every year, thousands of people consider becoming foster carers but never take the next step.
In England, there were almost 150,000 enquiries about fostering in 2024–25, yet only 7,365 newly approved foster carers.
Of course, not every enquiry will or should lead to approval. There are many reasons why people don’t continue. But we also know that capable people sometimes rule themselves out because of things they’ve heard about who can — and can’t — foster.
Many of those assumptions are simply myths.
So, here are some of the things people most often believe might disqualify them from fostering — and the truth behind them.
“I’m too old”
At Little Acorns, you need to be at least 21 to foster, but there is no upper age limit.
What matters is that you’re healthy enough to care for a child. You also need the energy, stability and commitment the role requires.
In fact, the life experience that comes with your forties, fifties and beyond can be a real asset.
It’s why many people discover that fostering suits them particularly well once their own children have grown up. We explore this in more detail in our post on fostering after your children have left home.
“I work full time”
Working doesn’t automatically rule you out, although it does affect what kind of fostering will fit your circumstances.
Some placements may be easier to combine with employment than others. Foster carers also need to be available for meetings, training, school holidays and appointments.
The honest answer is that it depends on the child, your job and your circumstances.
It’s exactly the sort of thing we’ll discuss with you. You don’t need to have worked everything out before making an enquiry.
“I don’t own my home”
You don’t need to own your house to foster.
You can foster if you rent, provided your home is stable and suitable. You’ll also need the necessary permission from your landlord.
What usually matters much more is having a spare bedroom for a child.
Plenty of excellent foster carers live in rented homes. Owning your property isn’t what makes somebody a good foster carer.
“I’m single”
You absolutely can foster if you’re single.
Foster carers can be single, married, in a civil partnership or living with a partner.
What we’re interested in is the stability and quality of the home you can provide. The number of adults living in it isn’t what determines whether you can foster.
For single foster carers, having a good support network can be particularly valuable. That’s something we’ll explore with you during the assessment.
“I’m gay, or I’m not the ‘traditional’ sort of family”
Your sexual orientation or gender does not determine whether you can foster.
Foster families come in all shapes and sizes. So do the children and young people who need foster families.
What a child needs is safety, warmth, stability and adults who are committed to them.
None of those things belongs to one particular type of family.
“I’m on benefits” or “I couldn’t afford it”
Being on benefits doesn’t prevent you from fostering.
Foster carers receive payments to meet the costs of caring for a child. These payments also recognise the skills and responsibilities involved in fostering.
Many foster carers pay little or no tax on their fostering income because of HMRC’s Qualifying Care Relief arrangements.
If you receive benefits, fostering can affect some entitlements depending on your circumstances. It’s therefore worth getting advice rather than assuming fostering isn’t possible.
Money worries cause some people to rule themselves out unnecessarily. That’s why we’ve set out the figures more clearly in our guide to fostering allowances.
“I’ve never done anything like it”
You don’t need formal qualifications to become a foster carer.
You need patience, resilience, an ability to learn and a genuine willingness to make room in your life for a child.
The specialist knowledge develops through training, support and experience.
You aren’t expected to know everything on day one — and you aren’t expected to do it alone.
“What if fostering overwhelms me?”
Mick Davis, who has fostered for seventeen years, says this is one of the things people often misunderstand before they start.
The first fear is that fostering will overwhelm their lives.
“People imagine their life’s going to be very difficult, but if you enjoy bringing up children and you enjoy having your family around you, fostering is made for you.”
The second is the fear that foster carers are left to cope on their own.
“The thing people get wrong is that they think they’re on their own. The fact is you’ve got a massive team behind you — at every stage, if you’re not sure of something, there are people you can just ring up who’ll give you the benefit of their experience.”
Seventeen years in, Mick has cared for children with some of the most complex needs. He says he’s never reached a point where he felt he couldn’t do it.
So, what actually matters?
There are genuine requirements and checks, and they’re there for good reason.
The fostering assessment looks at you, your family and your home.
It includes DBS checks, references and a medical assessment. You’ll also have conversations about your life, relationships and experience. Together, you’ll explore the kind of care you could provide.
These checks are there to make sure a child will be safe. They also help establish whether fostering is right for you and your family.
They’re not there to catch you out.
You don’t need to be perfect.
You need a stable home, a spare bedroom and the willingness to show up for a child, day after day.
Could you foster?
If you’ve read this far thinking one of these myths applied to you, there’s a good chance it doesn’t.
The difference a secure foster home can make is very real. You can see what it meant for one young person in Bebe’s story.
Ultimately, there’s only one way to know whether you could foster: ask.
Get in touch with Little Acorns and let’s find out together.