About fostering
Fostering is about looking after children and young people who are unable to remain with their families.
Children and young people are cared for by foster carers because they cannot stay with their own families for any one of a number of reasons. Foster carers provide a safe, secure home life for a child or young person for anything from a few days to several years. Where Barnardos provides a child or young person with a short term placement the child or young person has their own social worker who visits them regularily.
The child or young person maintains regular contact with their birth family. The plan for the child or young person will generally be that they return to the care of their parents or whānau. When it is not considered in a child or young person's best interests to return to the care of their parents then Barnardos may be requested by CYF to find a permanent home for them. This could mean we look for whānau or a placement with non-kin. In permanent foster care the child or young person lives in the day to day care of foster carers until they reach independence.
Further links:
- About fostering
- Can anyone become a foster carer?
- What does being a foster parent involve?
- How do I become a foster carer?
- What kinds of care can I offer to children?
- What about the children?
- Why foster with Barnardos?
- What training will I get?
- What financial support will I receive?
- I am very interested, what do I do now?
- A caregiver’s story
Testimonials
Family Support
"We have always been able to depend on Barnardos quick response to our referrals and we have total confidence in their skills to encourage, support and bring about positive changes for clients and their families/whanau. We hear only positive feedback from the families/whanau who have been assigned a support worker, who has worked alongside, encouraging and assisting families to achieve good outcomes for the families/whanau."
- Plunket, Manawatu/Wanganui
