Who needs fostering?

Children and young people from all backgrounds may enter foster care when they are unable to live with their birth parents for a period of time. Foster care provides them with a safe and supportive home, giving families the opportunity to address their challenges while ensuring the child’s well-being.

There are many reasons why a child may come into care. Some cases involve a parent’s short-term illness or temporary family difficulties, while others stem from more complex issues such as exposure to domestic violence, parental mental health struggles, or substance abuse. In some instances, children have faced neglect or abuse. Each child’s situation is unique, requiring tailored support to meet their needs.

When a child enters care, their welfare becomes the responsibility of the local authority in England, Scotland, or Wales, or the health and social care trust in Northern Ireland. Social workers collaborate with families to create a safe home environment, with the ultimate goal of reuniting children with their parents whenever possible.

Children can be fostered from birth, right up until their 18th birthday. Legislation now exists in each of England, Scotland and Wales that supports young people to stay with their former foster carer up until the age of 21, while young people in education, employment or training can also stay with foster families in Northern Ireland.

There are many different types of fostering and each fostering service will need to recruit foster carers from a variety of backgrounds to meet the needs of local children in care.

Around two-fifths of the children in care are aged 11 to 15 years. Finding foster carers for teenagers is a key priority for a number of fostering services in the UK. Other fostering services will need foster carers to care for children with specific learning difficulties and disabilities, young parents and their babies, as well as groups of brothers and sisters and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

The Fostering Network estimates 8,600 new foster carers are needed across the UK this year alone.

Make sure you ask who needs fostering when applying to foster with a fostering service.

What does fostering provide?

Fostering offers children a stable and nurturing environment, whether for a short or long period, while also allowing them to maintain contact with their birth families when it is safe and beneficial.

After learning about the diverse needs of children in foster care, do you feel that fostering could be the right path for you? Could you provide the care, support, and stability that a child needs during a challenging time in their life?

Previously published on the Fostering Network website. 

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