Who Can Become a Foster Carer?

Foster carers come from as wide a range of backgrounds and circumstances as the children they look after. This is vitally important, as all children need to be carefully matched with prospective carers to ensure that the placement will work, and that individual carers are equipped with the necessary skills and experiences to meet the needs presented by the young people.

This means that there is no such thing as an ‘ideal’ type of person to become a foster carer, but there are certain essential factors which include:

• You MUST have a spare bedroom for a foster child to use, and make their own - it doesn’t matter if you own your own home or rent a property, as long as there is some permanency in your residence.
• You need the personal qualities to support and understand a child who may have complex emotional needs, and difficult presenting behaviours. Good listening skills are essential, as are empathy, sensitivity and flexibility.
• The ability to work as part of a collaborative team of health, care and educational professionals, and the willingness to accept support – you’ll get a lot of it from us!
• Essential attributes include compassion, patience, tolerance and a good sense of humour!
• You can be single, married or living as a couple
• Anyone of any ethnic group or culture, and of any sexuality
• You can become a foster carer whether your unemployed, self-employed or working – as long as you have sufficient time available to meet the needs of the child/children placed with you.