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How does fostering work?

About fostering children

Day-to-day care of children

Foster parents (also known as foster carers) look after children who aren’t able to stay with their birth families.

Foster parents look after the child day and night for the duration of the fostering arrangement – children may live in the fostering home for as little as one night, or some stay until they’re 25 years old. The foster parents must have a bedroom for the child to sleep in (alone or with a sibling), and the foster parents must ensure that all the day-to-day needs of the child are met. Foster parents take children to school, to leisure activities (such as sports clubs), help with homework, ensure they have a healthy diet, go to all appointments and (perhaps most importantly) ensure that the child feels valued, safe and heard.

Foster carers are matched to children who are well suited to their abilities and knowledge. Within reason, foster carers can specify the age range of the children that they could care for, physical health needs, behavioural challenges and other considerations.

Legal responsibility of children in foster care

Legal parental responsibility for children is never transferred to foster carers, so foster carers can’t change the children’s surnames, apply for their passports, or make other decisions which require permission from parents. Sometimes parental responsibility is held by social care, so for example, the child’s social worker can apply for the child’s passport if you want to take the child abroad for a short holiday.

Some children return to their birth family, but if that isn’t possible, babies and toddlers may be adopted. Some children remain in foster care until they can live independently.

The application process to foster

In order to become a foster carer, there is a detailed and lengthy application process. The process aims to ensure that only people with the appropriate skills and knowledge are approved to foster. The checks also reduce the likelihood of a risky person becoming a carer.

Support and finances for foster carers

After being approved to foster, foster carers are supervised by a social worker, receive regular supervision and are also involved in multi-agency planning. Foster carers receive a fee for the professional aspects of the role and also an allowance to cover all of the costs of caring for the child.