Your life

Checks

Disclosure Scotland or Police checks

Enquirers with previous criminal convictions must disclose these. Individuals with convictions for offences involving children or serious violence are not deemed suitable as foster carers except in exceptional circumstances. Other offences will be discussed with the applicants and do not necessarily mean that they will not be able to be approved as carers.

Medical

Applicants will be asked to undergo a full medical assessment conducted by their own G.P. We do not wish to discriminate on the grounds of ill health or disability. Nevertheless, fostering is a strenuous activity and serious health problems or disability may affect a person’s ability to care. Any health problem or disability will be considered sympathetically by the agency’s medical adviser along with the assessing social worker and may lead to restrictions on the age group, number and type of child that the applicant may be considered suitable to care for or in extreme situations, an applicant’s health may prevent approval.

Local Authority Checks

A check of our local authority records will be carried out, and if an applicant has lived in another’s authority area since the age of 16, a check will also be made with that authority.

Health Visitor

An applicant’s local health visitor is contacted to see if she/he has any opinion on the applicant’s ability to care for a child.

Declaration

The applicants will be asked if a child has ever been removed from their care or if they have ever been refused registration as a childminder.

References

Each applicant will be asked to provide a list of possible referees covering various stages of their life. Referees will be asked for a written reference and some will also be visited. In addition we will seek a reference from current employers.