Fostering is when a child or young person who can’t live with their birth family is cared for by someone else in a safe, stable, and supportive home. This is usually due to difficult circumstances such as neglect, abuse, family breakdown, or illness.
Foster carers step in to provide the care, guidance, and everyday stability that every child deserves. They offer a temporary or long-term home where children can feel secure, heal from past experiences, and build a brighter future.
Fostering is not adoption—the child remains legally in the care of the local authority or social services, and contact with their birth family is often maintained. Some children may stay for a few days; others for months or years, depending on their needs and the type of fostering.
Foster carers are ordinary people doing something extraordinary. They receive full training, financial support, and ongoing guidance to help them meet the emotional, practical, and developmental needs of the children in their care.
In short:
Fostering is about opening your home and heart to a child in need—offering them a safe place to grow, feel valued, and be part of a caring family environment, however long they stay.
There are various forms of fostering to consider, find out which suits you best here.
Interested? Find out why you should become a Foster Carer.