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What is Foster Care?

Learn more about what it's like to be a foster carer.

“I love the fact that I am making a difference to the life of a young person. I would highly recommend fostering” Nicky, Foster Carer

What is Foster Care like?

Apply to foster

What is Foster Care like?

Apply to foster

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What is Foster Care?

Foster care involves parenting children and young people who need a safe place to live, either temporarily or permanently.

There are many reasons a young person may not be able to live with their parents or guardians, but the most common reasons are neglect and abuse.  This can include emotional, physical and sexual abuse, sometimes over a number of years.

In order to recover from past trauma and adverse childhood experiences, children need a secure base.  As a foster carer you will work closely with our supervising social workers, support workers and therapeutic practitioners to provide that secure base for the young person in your care.

Whilst you are the responsible parent for a young person, legal responsibility sits with the child’s local authority.  This is one of the main differences between fostering vs adoption.

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Foster care involves parenting children and young people who need a safe place to live, either temporarily or permanently.

There are many reasons a young person may not be able to live with their parents or guardians, but the most common reasons are neglect and abuse.  This can include emotional, physical and sexual abuse, sometimes over a number of years.

In order to recover from past trauma and adverse childhood experiences, children need a secure base.  As a foster carer you will work closely with our supervising social workers, support workers and therapeutic practitioners to provide that secure base for the young person in your care.

Whilst you are the responsible parent for a young person, legal responsibility sits with the child’s local authority.  This is one of the main differences between fostering vs adoption.

Here are some facts and figures about fostering in the UK in 2020

There are almost 55,000 children in foster care in the UK

Fewer than one in a hundred children are in foster care (less than 1%)

The number of children coming into foster care increased by 3% last year

There is an estimated shortage of almost 8,000 foster carers across the UK

What is Foster Care Like?

Fostering is a life-changing experience. This is a hugely rewarding role, but it also comes with its challenges. 

As a foster carer you will be supporting some of the most vulnerable children and young people in the UK and you should be physically and emotionally healthy.

You will attend numerous multi-agency professional meetings about the young person.  Many of these meetings will discuss future plans for the child such as education, family contact or preparing for independence, and you must advocate strongly for the child’s best interests.

 

As well as parenting, attending meetings and providing transport to/from school or other activities, foster carers must record their placement observations in a diary and report these to the agency.  Foster carer recordings are vital, and particularly important if the local authority requires evidence of a child’s progress or other relevant information to help determine their care plan.

We often get asked, “what’s foster care like?”, especially by those who are starting their journey.  Check out this short video from one our foster carer talking about what foster care is like.

What is Foster Care Like?

Fostering is a life-changing experience. This is a hugely rewarding role, but it also comes with its challenges. 

As a foster carer you will be supporting some of the most vulnerable children and young people in the UK and you should be physically and emotionally healthy.

You will attend numerous multi-agency professional meetings about the young person.  Many of these meetings will discuss future plans for the child such as education, family contact or preparing for independence, and you must advocate strongly for the child’s best interests.

 

As well as parenting, attending meetings and providing transport to/from school or other activities, foster carers must record their placement observations in a diary and report these to the agency.  Foster carer recordings are vital, and particularly important if the local authority requires evidence of a child’s progress or other relevant information to help determine their care plan.

We often get asked, “what’s foster care like?”, especially by those who are starting their journey.  Check out this short video from one our foster carer talking about what foster care is like.

Types of fostering

Carer support

Application process

Why Family Care

Types of Fostering

Carer support

Application Process

Why Family Care

Ready to get started?

Call 0800 5 677 677 or submit an enquiry online and Start your fostering journey

Apply to foster

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