The children who need foster care

Generally speaking, the children who are referred to us for foster placement have the same needs as other children. Sadly, a significant proportion of foster children will also have some higher level needs as a result of earlier experiences of abuse, neglect, trauma and abandonment. As one of their foster carers, you will need to put extra effort into helping them to overcome the various impacts that these early experiences will have had on them so as to enable them to reach their potential as young adults.

Some of the children are referred to us simply because the local Social Services does not have sufficient foster carers of its own to meet local needs. Other children are referred because Social Services are looking for a particular type of foster carer or family situation or because the child has more complex needs. However all "looked after" children need foster carers who have the energy, skills and commmitment needed to promote their health, education, self esteem and social and independent living skills.

You could start out by becoming approved as a "Mainstream" foster carer and begin your new career by fostering children who have lower level needs. If you wish, you could progress over time - as your skills, confidence and experience develops - to care for children with higher level needs as a "Fostering Plus" carer. Alternatively if you have significant prior experience as a foster carer or of child care or youth work in another setting, you could be approved at this higher level from the start of your fostering career with us.