Fostering Children UK: Make a Difference

Are you thinking about fostering a child? At Excel Fostering, we understand the importance of giving children opportunities and providing them a home. This blog outlines the essentials of fostering and how you can contribute to a child’s well-being. Interested? Keep reading.

What is Fostering?

Fostering is when a carer provides a safe and loving home for a child or young person who cannot live with their birth family. Foster carers care for these children for a certain period, which can be short-term (like during a family crisis) or long-term (until the child becomes independent). The aim is to offer a supportive environment while supporting the child’s well-being.

Types of Fostering Available

• Short-Term Fostering: Ideal for emergencies or transitions, this process provides immediate care while longer-term solutions are found.
• Long-Term Fostering: Offered when a child cannot return to their biological parents, providing a stable, permanent home.
• Respite Care: Otherwise known as short breaks, these arrangements support existing foster families or biological parent's families, by allowing the carers and foster child to take essential breaks.
• Remand Fostering: This arrangement allows courts (especially in the UK) to place young people in foster homes instead of secure units.

The Role of Excel Fostering

Excel Fostering connects children and foster families together, ensuring each child is matched with a suitable carer. We do it differently, we want our process to be educative and successful, and that’s why we provide comprehensive training, resources and ongoing support for foster carers in their time of need.

The Importance of Regulation in Fostering

Regulation in fostering is needed to ensure that fostering practices adhere to quality standards from both parties. Fostering agencies are regulated by the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted).

Who Can Become a Foster Carer?

If you are considering being a foster parent, it’s important to understand that anyone can apply, regardless of their background.

However, there are a few basic requirements:

• Being at least 21 years old.
• Having a spare room for a child.
• You are in good health.
• You must have indefinite leave to remain in the UK to be able to foster.
• Committing to providing a safe, loving environment.

The Need for Foster Carers

With approximately 63,000 children in care across the UK, many are searching for loving foster homes. Becoming a foster carer changes a child’s life and enriches your own. At Excel Fostering, we are committed to walking you through the process with the resources you need to feel confident in your role.

Contact Excel Fostering Today

If you’re ready to explore fostering further, we encourage you to get in touch with Excel Fostering at 0800 012 4004. Together, we can provide the support and care that vulnerable children need.