Fostering
What Do Foster Carers Do? – The Carers’ View
  • Provide support
  • Make a difference by being there
  • Teach social skills
  • Provide love
  • Enjoy the company of young people
  • Have young people as part of their family
  • Understand fostering is not easy – because human beings are complicated
  • Give something back – including your own children
  • Break the cycle by providing structure, routines, and safety
  • Provide laughter, time, and activities
  • Fill roles such as parent, carer, advocate, teacher, listener, mentor and understand these change on a daily basis







  • Provide a stable family life
  • Act as a professional parent, and deal with other professionals
  • Nurture – provide structure and a way of life
  • Give young people a bit more of a childhood
  • Develop and help a young person’s confidence
  • Provide a safe place, hope, aspirations, learning, and normality
  • Include young people in your life
  • Stay resilient and have a sense of humour
  • Have patience and the capacity to behave like a child yourself
  • Be very caring
  • Be open to everything
What's Problematic?
  • Offences against children
  • No spare bedroom
  • No relevant experience
  • Untested relationships

  • Aged under 25
  • Significant health issues
  • Unable to make fostering your priority
  • Unhygienic home conditions
What’s Ideal – a Young Person Perspective
  • Someone who includes them in the family
  • Laidback but strict when necessary
  • Not judgemental
  • Someone who respects their views and opinions


  • Someone who will provide them with essentials
  • Open minded
  • Have a sense of humour
  • Provide a warm home (physically and emotionally) to go back to

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