Foster carers come from all backgrounds and bring a wide range of life and work experiences. They receive training and support to help them develop the skills to meet the needs of children in care.
There are some common criteria that most fostering services expect from you:
- to be at least 21 years-old (although by law you can apply to foster from 18)
- to have a spare bedroom big enough for a young person to live in
- to be residing in the UK
- to be able to give the time to care for a child or young person, often on a full-time basis.
It’s also important that you’re able to work as part of a team, be resilient and above all, have a strong commitment to changing the life of a child in care.