What Is Fostering
Fostering involves caring for children in your own home whilst their own parent/s are unable to look after them. Foster carers look after children for periods lasting between one day and several years; the average is somewhere in between. Children may move back to their birth families. However, if this is not possible, then plans are made for them either to move to a more permanent placement or remain with their existing foster carers.
Caring for children of all ages
In general, fostering involves caring for 0 – 18 year olds. The age of the child/ren who come to stay with you will depend on what sort of fostering you decide to do as a family. Some families foster babies and young children. Some families foster children who are old enough to go to school. Other families prefer to work with Teenagers, helping them to prepare for independent living.
Contact with the birth family
Almost all children and young people who live with foster families still have families of their own so where possible, you as a foster carer, will help to sustain a level of contact between the child/ren and the birth family (via telephone calls, letters, unsupervised or supervised contact).
