Sons and daughters of foster carers wonder what fostering will mean for them:

Will I have to share my bedroom, toys, music and things?
Will fostering change my family?
What if I don't get on with the foster child?
What will my friends think?

Click here to read more about children who foster (Adobe pdf file). We also have a DVD specially made by the sons and daughters of foster carers to help explain what it is like to foster and answers lots of questions that children of foster carers. You can watch this with your family and talk to us about it when we visit.

How do you become a Foster Family?

To become a Foster Family your parent(s) and their children who live at home will go through an 'assessment'. This is a lot of meetings in your home to talk about what fostering is like and why your family want to foster. The people doing the assessment will spend a lot of time getting to know your parent(s), as they will be the ones responsible for children placed. They will also meet you and talk to you about fostering, telling you about it, listening to your views and answering your questions about it.

We will help you and your parents think through what it will be like to foster and help you all as a family to decide if it is the right thing for you.

What happens after the child comes to stay?

Once a foster child or young person comes to live with you, your family will have a fostering social worker. The foster child will have their own social worker too. The social workers jobs are to get to know you all well, support your family and the foster child, and help iron out any problems. Your views are important in this too.

We hope to organise fun days for the children of foster carers. These are partly to say Thank You and celebrate what you do in sharing your family with other children. It will also give you the chance to meet other children whose parents foster.