About fostering

To become a foster carer you must:

• be aged 21 or over,
• have a spare bedroom (or foster a child under 3 in your own bedroom) in a loving and stable home, and
• have some time to be able to look after a child or young person.

If you have those three things, we'd be interested to hear from you.

Despite common myths about who can or can't foster a child, we look at each application on its own merits.

You can:

• own or rent your home,
• be single, in a relationship, civil partnership or married,
• be employed, retired or claiming benefits,
• have your own children at home, grown children who've left home, or have no children of your own,
• be of any ethnicity or culture, sexuality or gender,
• believe in any faith, or have no faith.

There's different types of fostering and we'll help you find the one that's right for you, your family and your circumstances during your assessment.

Short-term fostering

This can last anything from a few months to over two years. You provide support until the child or young person can return to their family, or moves to longer term planned placements (including adoption).

Long-term fostering

This tends to be school-aged children upwards. Long-term fostering allows a child to grow up in a safe, secure environment, until they are a young adult and ready to live independently.

Support care (formally known as Respite care)

This involves looking after a child for a day, a night, a weekend or a few weeks. This can be arranged around your availability and is a type of part time foster care for people who work or who have other commitments. A child would have a main foster home, and you would look after the child when their main carer is unavailable or needs a break.

Short break care

This is a specialist scheme for children and young people who might have a learning, physical or sensory disability, significant health care needs, or a combination of these.

Supported lodging

This is a good option for people who enjoy spending time with young adults (16+). You're free to live your own lifestyle but will help the young person learn practical skills needed for independent living.

If you want to know what it's really like to be a foster carer, contact us.

We can put you in touch with our approved foster carers so you can learn about their fostering experiences and find out all about day-day fostering.

They can also support you and your family throughout the assessment process.