Foster care, sometimes also called family based care, is when a family welcome someone else’s child or children into their home on a temporary basis.
For a variety of reasons, children sometimes need to be looked after in an alternative family setting to their own. It may be that their parents are ill, or in prison, they may be having relationship problems or the strain of being a single parent has got too much. Sometimes the child or young person has been hurt, physically or emotionally, and the only way to deal with the situation is to remove the child completely.
The length of time children stay with a foster family can vary from day care, overnight stays and regular planned weekends or holiday stays, to weeks, months or several years. In most cases, the children will be able to return to their family and foster carers and social workers aim for this wherever possible. In a few cases this is not possible and some children may stay in foster care for several years or be placed for adoption.
Could you foster?
Are you able to give children a secure and loving home?
Becoming a foster carer
It can take between six to nine months, from application to approval.
The rewards of fostering
Being a foster carer can be demanding, but it is incredibly rewarding.
Looking after someone else's child?
Are you looking after a child under 16 (or under 18 if disabled) for more than 28 days?
Enquire about becoming a foster carer
Simply complete our online form and we will get in touch.
Interested in adopting a child?
Children need families to give them love, security and stability into adulthood.