Foster carers look after children who need a safe and loving home while they are unable to live with their own families.
At Foster for Medway, we recruit, assess, train and approve foster carers who will be looking after children and young people who have been in care in Medway.
Children can become looked after for many reasons. Some of these include:
- absent parenting
- abuse or neglect (this is the reason in the highest number of cases)
- disability
- family dysfunction
- parental illness or disability.
Every day, there are about 70,000 children living with 55,000 foster families.
Every 20 minutes, another child comes into care requiring a foster family in the UK.
The types of fostering
We need foster carers for all types of fostering. Any time that you're able to offer is appreciated and will make a difference to a child’s life.
We'll discuss the types of fostering with you when you make your application, and help you choose which option might work best for you and your lifestyle.
Before we place a child with you, we talk to you about that child, their circumstances, and make sure you will be able to care for them and provide them with what they need. This is all part of something called the matching process.
The length of time a child will need to be in care will depend on their individual circumstances.
Long-term fostering
You could be fostering the same child for a long period of time. This can become permanent, lasting until the child is 18 years old.
Short-term fostering
Sometimes, a child only needs a home for a short period of time while we work with their birth family to reunify them.
Short-break fostering is when a child only needs a regular or one-off weekend or longer stay.
Our supported homes scheme is also a great option for those who are not able to commit to fostering younger children longer term.
What foster carers do
As a foster carer, you'll provide a high level of care for a child or young person who has been taken into care.
These children and young people may have had an unsettled life so far and will need love, care, and a safe place to call home.
They'll live in your home while you look after them. Foster carers:
- provide a safe home environment
- meet the physical and emotional needs of the child in their care
- work as part of a professional network around the child consisting of social workers, health professionals, and education professionals
- are advocates for the child during meetings.
You'd be considered a self-employed foster carer, and a member of our Fostering for Medway team.
Fostering work
Day to day, you'll:
- make the child in your care feel safe, happy and loved
- cook nutritious meals for them
- get them to school, clubs, medical appointments, and meetings with professionals. Some children will need to have contact with their birth parents and be taken to these sessions
- help with homework and encourage your foster child to build their skills and confidence
- keep up to date with paperwork, mandatory training, and other tasks as needed. High levels of admin are required to ensure foster carers are meeting high standards.
Become a foster carer
For a friendly and informative chat about fostering:
- phone: 0300 131 2797
- email: TBC.
If you're ready to apply, you can fill in our online form.
Register your interest in fostering
What happens next
If you're approved as a foster carer, we'll match you with a child we feel would thrive under your care.
We take into consideration:
- the type of foster care you've chosen
- your lifestyle
- your heritage and culture.
You'll have support from social workers throughout the assessment period and your time as a foster carer.