What about the children?

All families experience ups and downs.

For children and young people in foster care the difficulties have become such that they are unable to stay with their own families. Some children are in care through voluntary agreements with parents or guardians who are experiencing difficulties. They may ask for temporary help because of illness, relationship issues or parent/child conflicts. They might request specialised care for a child who has physical or mental difficulties, or emotional or behavioural problems which are beyond the family’s capacity to address.

However, many children are in care because it is the only option to protect them from abuse and neglect. They may have experienced physical or sexual abuse or been neglected. This is why so many children and young people who come to Barnardos have low self esteem or challenging behaviour. Fostering can help to give these children and young people back their self-respect by providing a loving and secure home for as long as it is required.

To provide the most nurturing environment we always match the right foster carer to the right child or young person. This means that we need to find foster carers from a variety of backgrounds or circumstances who are able to give the care consistent with their cultural background. You can express an age and gender preference for the child you want to foster – it's important for the success of a placement that we take into account the carer’s wishes based on their experiences and the make up of their own family.

You will be given full information as Barnardos has it about a child's history, previous placements, health needs, education, contact with family and more. We believe that for placements to stand any chance of success, it’s important that foster carers are kept fully informed.
 

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