What is fostering?

Fostering asks you to open up your home in London to a young person in care.

Day to day, fostering looks like ordinary family life. You get a child to school, cook their meals, take them to clubs and appointments, help with homework and be there in the evenings. Alongside that you work as part of a team around the child, which means keeping records, attending meetings, and sometimes taking a child to and from arranged contact with their family.

You may foster for a single night, a few months, or the rest of a young person’s childhood. The child stays legally the responsibility of their birth family or the local authority, and most children in foster care keep some contact with their parents and siblings while they're with you.

Children come into care for different reasons and at different ages, from babies through to teenagers approaching adulthood. Some arrive in an emergency with almost nothing, others move in with plenty of notice.

As a professional role, foster carers are paid for looking after young people. You'll have a supervising social worker, access to training throughout your fostering journey, and a network of other foster carers who understand what the work involves. The rate you're paid depends on the type of fostering you do.

Types of fostering

There are many types of fostering, allowing us support London’s children and young people in different ways.

Emergency

Sometimes a child needs somewhere to stay at very short notice, occasionally in the middle of the night or over a weekend. Emergency foster carers take turns being on standby, and the child stays with them until a longer-term plan is in place.

Short-term

Short-term placements can last anywhere from a few nights to a couple of years, while a family's situation is worked through and a decision is made about whether a child can return home or needs something more permanent.

Long-term

When it's clear a child won't be returning to their birth family, a long-term foster carer takes on the commitment to care for that child until they reach adulthood.

Respite

Respite gives another foster family, or a family under pressure, a short break. This might be a weekend or a week during school holidays, and it's a good option if you can only offer limited time.

Parent and child

Some placements support a young or vulnerable parent alongside their baby, usually for around 12 weeks. The carer helps the parent build the skills and confidence to care for their child independently, and keeps records that inform decisions about the family's future.

Specialist

Specialist foster carers look after children with complex needs or trauma who need significant, experienced support. This is a full-time commitment and carers can't take on other work alongside it, so it's paid at a higher rate.