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Foster Carer

Are you looking for a professional role where you can truly change a life and make a real difference? 

Foster Carers provide daily care for children, from school runs and health appointments to supporting family time. They work as part of the professional team around the child, attending meetings and sharing updates on the child’s needs and progress. There are flexible fostering opportunities available, ranging from part-time respite care, which offers short breaks to other carers or families, to full-time, long-term support. Every Foster Carer is supported by a Supervising Social Worker who provides guidance, training, and regular supervision. Anyone over 25 (or over 21 with relevant experience) can apply to foster, regardless of their background, relationship status, religion, ethnicity, housing situation, or whether they have pets. 

Foster Carer is also known as Foster Carer, Fosterer.

Role Characteristics

  • Providing day to day care for a child or children in a safe and loving home
  • Responding to specific needs of children and supporting their social and emotional development
  • Maintaining records relevant to the needs of a child
  • Working with others: the team around the child to promote the child(ren)’s needs – education, health, social care professionals; working with birth families to promote family contact
  • Attending training and peer support groups
  • Providing advocacy for children

Skills

  • Active listening
  • Communication
  • Empathy
  • Problem-solving
  • Resilience
  • Taking initiative

Day in the life

Here's a short video about what it's like to Foster

Routes into this role

Here are some example routes that can lead into this role.

  • No qualifications required
  • Volunteering or work experience

How to become

You do not need to have formal qualifications to become a Foster Carer. Foster Carers are required to have the right to live and work in the UK, to have space in their home to care for a child and the capacity to commit to them. Foster carers must be proficient in spoken and written English and be healthy enough to care for a child or children.

Prospective Foster Carers undergo an assessment with the Fostering Agency which includes checks, references and a Social Work assessment. Foster Carers are provided with training and development opportunities by their Fostering Agency.

Where can this role lead

No matter what role you start in or where you are in your career path, there are always opportunities to develop and progress in health and care. Foster carers can progress through competency levels as they gain skills and experience. There are also specific foster carer roles such as: Parent and Child Assessment Foster Carers; Foster carers who specialise in looking after babies withdrawing from substances, Foster Carers for children with complex health needs and disabilities, Foster Carers who work with children with specific therapeutic needs. There are also opportunities to put your skills to use by supporting and mentoring other foster carers including through offering advice and practical support and through delivering training.

Location

  • At Home

Working hours

  • Weekends
  • Weekdays
  • Nights
  • Irregular Hours
  • Part Time
  • Full Time
  • Flexible Hours

Opportunities

Arial photograph of buildings in Leeds A woman smiling wearing scrubs
Job Opportunities
Foster 4 Leeds Website
Fostering with us is a rewarding and challenging experience, giving you a sense of purpose as you help change lives.
Organisation
Foster 4 Leeds
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