Through our network of professionally trained and supported Foster Carers we work closely with families, local authorities and others to provide the chance to make a positive and lasting difference to a young person's life and make them feel more confident about their future through high quality family placements.

Specialist Placements - available for children and young people aged up to 18 years of age. Our carers can respond to a crisis and are able to offer a warm caring home to a child or young person while assessments are carried out and plans are put into place for the future. Some of our foster carers are able to offer sibling group placements to keep families together.

Emergency Overnight Placements - Spot purchase out of hours service

Long Term Planned Placements - A few children need to stay with foster carers until they are independent. Our carers can offer long term family placements and we can enter into negotiations with local authorities about longer term service level agreements.

Remand Foster Carers - Experienced foster carers are available to young people on remand.

Mother and Baby Placements - Including intensive assessment of parenting abilities and agreed after care support packages.

Friends and Family Assessment - Foster CARES Ltd has a team of skilled and experienced social work professionals who are available to carry out friend and family assessments within an agreed timescale at competitive rates.

Some of your questions answered ...

Who can apply to be a foster carer?

Anyone! Whether married, single, gay, young or old - anyone can be a good foster carer!

More important is your motivation, commitment and the type of home environment you have. Experience of fostering or related professional child care is desirable but not essential.

We would especially like to hear from people across all ethnic groups, some of which are seriously under represented as Foster Carers throughout the UK.

Would previous convictions prevent someone from fostering?

It would depend upon the nature of the conviction and when it occurred. We always check police records at an early stage in the application process. We would need to discuss any convictions as soon as possible so that we could decide if it might affect your application. This information would remain confidential at all times.

What sort of checks are carried out on me and my home?

Our assessment process helps us get to know you and provides you with information about fostering. We carry out a criminal records check on all household members over 16 years as well as checks with the local Social Services Department, the Health Service, the Education Department and a register which lists those prevented from working with children.

We would also need to carry out a standard safety check on your home and determine its suitability.

Can a child I foster share a bedroom with one of my own children?

Foster CARES will only place a child in a home where he or she will have their own bedroom unless they are a young sibling group or same sex siblings.

Can I choose the age or sex I would prefer to foster?

Yes, you can. However, if you are relying on income from fostering, you are far more likely to have continuous placements if you are willing to take teenagers as well as younger children.

Foster CARES receives requests for the placements of children from Local Authorities that are very diverse in age, gender, ethnicity, religion and language including children and young people fleeing war or terror from overseas.

We do also require carers with sufficient space to take sibling groups. These children are often younger.

How much will I know about the child or young person before they are placed with me?

We gather as much information on the children or your person as possible before contacting our carers. We always discuss every placement with our carers and provide as much information about the young person and their background as possible, including any difficult behaviour and how to manage it. Then it is your decision as to whether to take a young person.

Occasionally we may have very little information, especially in an emergency. In these cases we would quickly find out as much as possible and keep you informed through our 24 hour telephone support.

Are we allowed to smack foster children?

No - absolutely not. No form of corporal punishment is acceptable under the regulations governing fostering; this includes any form of smacking, slapping or shaking.

Training on the issue of behaviour management is provided for all carers and we are never more than a phone call away with 24 hour telephone support from qualified CARES staff.

What sort of support will I get if I’m finding it difficult to cope?

You will never be expected to cope on your own. You will have your own social worker and telephone support will be available to you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We provide 20 days’ paid “respite” holiday for carers each year and, on occasion, additional regular respite breaks if considered necessary.

Our supervising Social Workers have a manageable caseload which guarantees opportunities to regularly visit you and provide ongoing support.

Attending regular Carers’ Support Group meetings help form a great network with other carers who are very supportive.

What sort of training will I get to be a foster carer?

Initially we hold a two day Skills to Foster training course where you are given information about the assessment process and about fostering. Refreshments are provided.

Once our carers have completed our assessment process and have been approved/appointed, we encourage and support those interested in further training.

You can achieve a professional qualification by training to NVQ Level 3 in Child Care and attend a number of short courses including child protection, behaviour management, first aid, food hygiene and child care legislation.

If I decide to apply, how long will I have to wait before I get a placement?

We start the assessment once your statutory checks have been received i.e. Criminal Record Checks, medical report and some references.

Typically it takes up to 4 months from the beginning of the assessment depending upon the complexity of your personal circumstances, and the availability of assessing Social Workers.

Once your assessment - the ‘Form F’ - is completed, it will be presented to our Fostering Panel then, if you are approved you can begin taking placements.