Essential equipment for fostering babies and young children

As a foster carer, you are responsible for providing your foster child with a bed, a wardrobe, and other appropriate equipment or furniture.

In most cases, you are expected to pay for these items yourself.

The fostering service will cover the cost of an initial supply of essential equipment to enable you to care for young foster children safely. This is in line with part 6.12 of the Fostering services: national minimum standards.

Essential fostering equipment includes:

• A crib, cot, or Moses basket, and a mattress
• Bed sheets and blankets for the crib, cot or Moses basket (up to 3 sets)
• Bottles and teats
• Steriliser and cleaning equipment
• Baby monitor
• Bath seat
• Stairgate(s)
• A pram or pushchair
• A car seat or car booster seat
• A changing mat and changing bag
• A highchair or feeding booster seat
• Fire guard

There may be exceptional circumstances where equipment not on this list is required to meet a child's specific needs. Requests for equipment not on the list will need to be approved by the Head of Fostering.

Deciding what you need

The service will provide you with equipment from this list that is appropriate for:

• The age and needs of the children you foster, and
• The number of children you are approved to foster. If the number of children you are approved to foster increases, we will provide you with extra equipment to cover the needs of the extra foster child

If you are a new foster carer, your assessing social worker will help you identify what items you need from the list of essential equipment.

Getting essential equipment

Items from the essential equipment list will normally be purchased by the fostering service and loaned to your household.

We source equipment from a variety of reputable suppliers. You will be able to choose items from our suppliers, in consultation with your supervising social worker and the fostering service business support team.

There are limits for how much the fostering service will pay for each type of item. The business support team will check that the items you choose are within the price limit. You can choose more expensive equipment, but you will need to pay the difference.

Once your supervising social worker has approved the purchase of the items you have chosen, they will be ordered by the business support team.

The items will be delivered to your home. You must keep any guarantees and instructions for equipment provided by the fostering service.

Getting equipment you need urgently

In some circumstances, you may need to buy items yourself and then claim expenses for the cost. For example, if you need equipment for an emergency placement.

Before buying anything, you must get the costs approved by:

• Your supervising social worker, or
• An Emergency Duty Team Social worker if you are accepting an emergency placement out of hours

You should then submit your claim to your supervising social worker on the Children's Provider Portal (ContrOCC). Make sure you include any related receipts.

You must keep any guarantees and instructions for equipment you claim expenses for.

Car seats

You must follow the legal guidance on using car seats and booster seats on GOV.UK.

This includes making sure that your foster child travels in a seat which:

• Is suitable for your foster child's height or weight
• Is correctly fitted according to the manufacturer's instructions
• Meets the appropriate United Nations Regulation:
  • UN Regulation No. 44 for weight-based seats
  • UN Regulation No. 129 for height-based (i-Size) seats

Guidance on choosing and using car seats on childcarseats.org.uk Guidance on choosing and using car seats on childcarseats.org.uk 

You must keep instructions for fitting and using the car seat in the car with the seat.

Mattresses and bedding

The Lullaby Trust provides advice on safe sleeping for babies.

You should:

• Keep the cot, crib or Moses basket as clear as possible. This means making sure that in the cot there are:
  • No pillows or duvets
  • No cot bumpers
  • No soft toys
  • No loose bedding
  • No products, like wedges or straps, that will keep the baby in one sleeping position
• Make sure the gap between the cot and the mattress is no larger than 3cm
• Make sure that each foster child has their own bedding
• Regularly check that the mattress is still firm, flat, and in good condition with no rips, tears, or sagging. If there are any signs of damage, you must replace the mattress immediately
• Check and disinfect the mattress between each child. We recommend protecting the mattress with a waterproof cover which can be wiped down with antibacterial spray. This should then be covered with a freshly washed sheet
• Record when a new mattress is bought. For example, by putting a label with the purchase date on the underside of the mattress 

Replacing equipment

The fostering service will not pay for replacement of items on the essential equipment list unless:

• Your foster child requires specialist equipment, or
• The item is damaged by a child you are fostering, so is covered by the Council's Foster Carers Household Insurance policy

Equipment that is no longer needed

You should talk to your supervising social worker if you have equipment you no longer need that:

• Is in good condition, and
• Was provided by the fostering service

We will discuss the best way to use the equipment, which may include offering it to other carers on the Fostering Hub.

You must not sell any equipment provided or purchased by the fostering service without first talking to your supervising social worker.

Initial fostering allowance

If you are a child's first foster carer, you can claim initial fostering allowance to make sure they have a reasonable level of clothing and possessions.

Read more about initial fostering allowance.