Foster care can be challenging, so we’re here for you every step of the way

Choosing to foster a child is a hugely rewarding experience, but one that can be challenging. There may be times when your patience and perseverance are put to the test, especially as many foster children come from difficult backgrounds which can impact on their development negatively.

Fostering UK provide support 24/7, and our high-quality training programmes are in place to give you the skills needed to deal with tricky situations. When fostering, you are not alone – our whole team is dedicated to the well-being of you, your family, and the child you care for.

We also provide all of our foster carers with membership to the Fostering Network, an organization dedicated to supporting carers and improving foster child opportunities who can also provide expert guidance and resources.

“We were having a bit of a crisis with Gemma on a weekend and the Fostering UK on call worker was brilliant and came out to our house to support us. We previously worked for another fostering agency and that would never of happened. The team at Fostering UK are totally child focused and comitted to their foster carers and children“

Tina from Bedford

Training

Our training programmes are designed to provide you with a comprehensive skillset and understanding of how to care for a foster child. Through a combination of face-to-face and online training, our carers take part in continuous professional development to ensure you are confident in approaching all aspects your care.

All our foster carers and supervising social workers are expected to undertake the Attuned Therapeutic Care (ATC) programme; a course designed to teach the skills needed to care for a child who may have suffered severe trauma and insecure attachments. The course integrates research into the neurobiology of trauma and child development and teaches a wide range of nurturing skills dedicated to providing therapeutic understanding and care.

Events and Holidays

We want to encourage time to have fun and integrate with other people in our fostering community. That’s why we organise events and days-out through the year, inviting our foster carers, foster children, family members and other members of the Fostering UK team to take part.

We’re a child-focussed agency and want to build a close network of people surrounding our foster children.

We also appreciate the importance of a bit of time away from the normal routine. That’s why we fund 2 weeks of holiday a year for you and your foster children, giving you the option to do something different and spend some really positive time together.

A wide support network is essential

While we are here to help wherever we can, it’s important that you have a good network of others supporting you as a carer.

This could be in the form of your partner, friends, family, or a combination. Either way, having people close to home to talk to is essential.

A strong support network alongside our 24/7 professional support will put you in the best position to care for your foster child.