Consultation.

To become a foster carer, arrange a consultation with professionals from the Children’s Service at your place of residence.

The Children’s Service at your place of residence is the authority that must accept your application. The Children’s Service officers will accompany you on your path to becoming a foster carer, analyse your documents, the situation, and answer all your questions. They are your assistants in the process. Feel free to request a consultation and make a list of the questions you have about patronage or other forms of family care.

How to request a consultation:

• Online — via the DIIA state service portal
• In person — to the Children’s service at your place of residenceresidence (you can find your children’s service

Outcome of Step:

• you have received a consultation and have obtained information on the purpose, tasks and peculiarities of the patronage service, payment for such service, the procedure for its organisation in the community, requirements for foster carer candidates, criteria of selection, the rights and obligations of foster carers, as well as answers to your questions about the service;
• you have received the list of documents required to proceed further

Documents.

You need to file an official application and the package of documents to become a foster carer.

The package of documents required for initial selection to be a foster carer

Outcome of Step:

• the document package is ready;
• the document package, together with the statement of intention to become the foster carer, has been submitted to the children’s service at the candidate’s place of residence, or to the administrative services centre (ASC).

Assessment and initial selection.

Being a foster carer is responsible professional service. Each candidate who wishes to become a foster carer must attend a detailed interview. This interview will include a comprehensive assessment of the candidate, with analysis of their family situation, skills, knowledge, competences, physical condition, moral traits and depth of motivation for such professional service. A rapid assessment of the living and household conditions of the family also takes place in order to ensure the optimum environment for the development and care of the child.

So, after the candidate’s package of documents has been checked, the Children’s Service will send a request to the social services or a social work professional for the family situation and living and household conditions to be assessed. The social services or social work professional will engage a psychologist, and they will conduct the assessment at the candidate’s actual place of residence together.

The assessment is to be carried out within five business days after the social services or social worker receives the request from the children’s service.

The assessment is carried out to determine favourable factors and probable risks regarding the capacity of the foster carer candidate to provide the patronage service to a child within their family. This includes:

• The psychological readiness of the candidate, the voluntary assistant, other family members living with the candidate, and the placement of children with the family;
• the conditions for placement of children with the foster carer’s family.

Outcome of Step:

• the social service or social worker develops an opinion following the assessment of the family situation and the living and household conditions of the foster carer candidate’s family, and sends it to the children’s service;
• the initial selection of the foster carer candidate is completed.

Training.

When the opinion on the assessment is ready, and the candidate and the voluntary assistant have successfully passed the initial selection, the Children’s Service shall refer them to take part in the foster carer training programme.

The regional social service centre shall organise training and ensure all the communication about the process and organisational aspects. Training lasts two months upon receipt of referral from the Children’s Service.

Outcome of Step:

• the regional social service centre gives the foster carer candidate and the voluntary assistant, who have successfully completed the full training course, the recommendation on their ability to provide the service of patronage to a child.

Agreement.

Following the initial selection, and on the basis of the recommendation given, the Children’s Service shall draw up a decision for the Guardianship and Custody Authority, and the draft agreement containing the terms and conditions for introduction and organisation of operation of the patronage service provided by the foster carer and their family.

The agreement is concluded between the Authority that has adopted the decision on providing patronage, the foster carer, and the voluntary assistant.

The form of such agreement can be viewed here: Model agreement — patronage

Outcome of Step:

• the agreement on the patronage service provided by the foster carer and their family has been concluded.
• information on the foster carer and the voluntary assistant is entered into the Unified Data Bank of Orphans, Children Deprived of Parental Care, and Families of Potential Adopters, Guardians, Custodians, Adoptive Parents, and Caregiving Parents.