Who Can Foster?
Children belong in families. We welcome people from all backgrounds as foster carers and we place young people with a wide range of family types, because children’s needs are as unique as they are.
Can I foster?
You may be:
single, married or divorced
male or female
a parent with young or grown-up children
someone who’s never had children
a single parent
in a same-sex relationship
employed or unemployed (employed people who need to work full-time will be considered for respite foster care, ie weekends and school holidays to support other foster carers)
you may have a criminal record for non-violent offences or cautions in the past
Whatever your walk of life and whatever your circumstances, you may be able to become a foster parent. There are some things you need, though.
Fostering UK requirements
You will need:
a good-sized spare room for each child
evidence of parenting skills, either caring for your own children or other people's
one foster carer need to be able to prioritise needs of any child living with them over work commitments.
a commitment to working in partnership with the child's birth family and professionals.
an ability to stand up for children and young people and help them reach their potential
to want to be an active part of our fostering community
We believe in the potential of people and this is always our starting point when we work with people to become foster carers. It has been since we were founded in 1998.
Then and now, our team work closely with our local communities and challenge existing ideas about who can and can’t become a foster carer.
We look for people who share our values. Are you prepared to be brave, reflective, creative, and determined? Do you do the right thing, even when it’s hard? Do you believe in community? Get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.
Read our Foster Carer profiles to see the rewards fostering brings, or find more information about becoming a foster carer for Community Foster Care.