Fostering is a way of providing children and young people with a family life when they are unable to be looked after by their own family. This could be just for a few days or many months. There are many different kinds of fostering, but all of them involve caring for someone else’s child for a period of time – so being a foster carer is one of the most responsible jobs you can do.
There are many reasons why children may need to be looked after. Some parents don’t have family or friends to support them; others may be ill or having to cope with a severely disabled child and need an occasional break. In some cases children have suffered neglect or abuse and have to be removed from home for their own safety. There may be a combination of factors. In most cases though, children do go back to their own families.
Just like the children they look after, foster carers come from all walks of life and backgrounds. Their common link is a genuine concern for the welfare of children whom they can help by offering to share their lives and home.
Anyone who feels they have something to offer children can apply. There are no age limits, and it doesn’t matter whether you’re single, married, or living as a couple. We need foster carers of all ethnic origins – children do best in families that can reflect their own culture, language and religion. Disability needn’t be a barrier to fostering – but the job can be demanding, so you will need to be reasonably fit, both physically and emotionally. In fact, we are interested to hear from anyone who has time, patience, energy and a sense of humour.
Obviously, fostering isn’t for everyone. But we won’t exclude anyone on grounds of race, religion, culture, class, gender, age or marital status. As you would expect, extensive references are undertaken in respect of all prospective foster carers, including police checks. But only certain serious criminal convictions will automatically disqualify you from becoming a foster carer.
As a foster carer you will be faced with situations which may be unfamiliar to you. It isn’t something you can do alone; it will affect your family and friends and if you have children of your own you must think about how they may react. Helping a child can be rewarding – but it can also mean coping with difficult or disturbed behaviour; remember they are going through major changes in their lives too.
However, most of our carers find that the rewards and satisfactions of fostering far outweigh the problems and frustrations.
Fostering isn’t something you are expected to do on your own. Foster carers have the support of their own family placement officer, there are regular meetings with other foster carers, and on-going training is provided through the Social Services Department. Foster carers also receive financial support.
Making a decision to become a foster carer isn’t one to be taken lightly. We suggest your next step is to talk to a social worker from the Family Placement Team based on the Civic Offices Campus. The team can be contacted through the Swindon Borough Council switchboard on 01793 463000, or there is also a direct line number telephone: 01793 465700 or you can e-mail them at familyplacement@swindon.gov.uk.
We will welcome your enquiry and will be happy to discuss any aspect of fostering with you, including the application process. Remember, you won’t be committing yourself to anything at this stage.
We would welcome your comments. If you would like to give us your thoughts and ideas about this information or other Social Services publication please contact:
Customer Liaison Officer
Tel: 01793 463496
E-mail: yourcommentscount@swindon.gov.uk
The information contained in this web page is also available in a printed leaflet. If you would like copies of this leaflet, or the same information in another format, please contact:
Customer Services
Tel: 01793 463725
The leaflet is also available as a downloadable pdf document:
Could You Become a Foster Carer?
Accessibility Guideline Notes
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