Application Step Three: Your Fostering Assessment
After your initial visit, if you and Compass agree to move forward, we can begin your preparation assessment. This is sometimes referred to as a Form F assessment.
What Is a Form F Assessment?
A Form F assessment helps us build a clear understanding of who you are, your family life, your experiences, your motivation to foster and the care you could offer a child.
It is thorough, but it is not designed to feel intimidating. Your assessor will work with you throughout, helping you understand what is needed, answer your questions and feel prepared for each stage.
At Compass, we are committed to keeping children safe, supported and well matched with the right foster families. Your assessment helps us do this thoughtfully and carefully, while also giving you the time and space to decide whether fostering is right for you.
How Long Does the Assessment Take?
A Form F assessment usually takes around 3 to 6 months to complete.
This can vary depending on your availability, the checks and references required and how quickly visits can be arranged. Your local Compass team will help keep things moving as smoothly as possible and make sure you know what to expect along the way.
What Happens During the Assessment?
At the start of your assessment, we’ll allocate an assessor to work with you.
They will spend time getting to know you and your family. Through your conversations, you’ll talk about your background, family life, relationships, previous work, support network and the experiences that have shaped who you are today.
Some conversations may feel personal, and it is natural to feel nervous about parts of the assessment. Your assessor will be there to support you through them. The challenges you have faced can help show your resilience, self-awareness and ability to support a child through difficult moments.
The questions we ask are designed to understand how fostering may affect you, your family and your home life. We’ll ask you to be honest with us, and if you have any worries, we’ll talk them through with you.
Checks and references
As part of your assessment, we’ll complete the checks and references needed to help keep children and adults safe.
Your local Recruitment Administrator will support you through this part of the process. This may include references from previous employers, a DBS check and a fostering medical assessment.
Having a criminal record or a health condition does not necessarily mean you cannot foster. What matters is that you are open and honest with us from the beginning, so we can understand your circumstances properly.
Training, Development and Connection
Your preparation assessment is not just about completing a process. It is also a time for learning, reflection and development.
Whilst your assessment is being completed, you’ll be invited to attend Foster Care Foundations. This course introduces you to therapeutic foster care and helps you build the knowledge, skills and confidence you’ll need for the role.
You’ll learn alongside other prospective foster parents who are going through the same process, giving you the chance to share experiences, ask questions and begin building connections within the Compass fostering community. These early connections can help you feel part of something bigger, with people around you who understand the journey you are on.
Your learning and development will continue after approval too, with further training and support to help you build your safeguarding skills, recording practice and therapeutic understanding.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Fostering isn’t easy. But it’s one of the most important things you can do to transform the life of a child. If you’re ready to explore whether fostering could be right for you – and want to do it with a team that will have your back – we’d like to hear from you.
