CAN I FOSTER?
Types of fostering
Respite
Short Term
Short Term
- Short Breaks that Make a Big Impact
- Also known as Planned Breaks, respite fostering provides short-term care for children—from weekends to several weeks—offering valuable breathing space for both carers and children. These breaks can be part of a healthy routine that supports emotional wellbeing.
- As a respite foster carer, placements vary b
- Short Breaks that Make a Big Impact
- Also known as Planned Breaks, respite fostering provides short-term care for children—from weekends to several weeks—offering valuable breathing space for both carers and children. These breaks can be part of a healthy routine that supports emotional wellbeing.
- As a respite foster carer, placements vary based on each family’s needs. That’s why we value respite carers just as highly as full-time carers.
Short Term
Short Term
Short Term
- Short-term fostering provides care from as little as one night to up to two years. Most children begin their foster journey this way, at the same time as their future is decided. Whether they can return to their birth family or move on to long-term foster care. These placements are especially common for younger children and play a vital role in offering stability while their future is determined.
Long Term
Short Term
Long Term
- Long-term fostering is about providing a consistent, nurturing home for children who aren’t expected to return to their birth families. These placements often continue until the young person reaches adulthood, offering emotional security and long-term stability.
Steps To Foster
1. Telephone Enquiry
2. Your Initial Visit
- Your first step will be to submit your details using the form below. This is your chance to ask us questions, and we’re here to answer them as quickly as possible! Whether you decide to get in touch with us online or over the phone (01159792515), one of our friendly team members will be in contact with you within 24 hours to have an informal chat and arrange a Zoom meeting to gather more information.
2. Your Initial Visit
2. Your Initial Visit
- After completing stage one we will arrange a home visit to view your home and discuss suggestions on how you can prepare your home for fostering.
3. Your Fostering Assessment
- If the outcome of your Initial Visit is positive, we’ll create a Form F Assessment for you. This is the focus assessment that looks at different aspect of your life such as education, parenting, motivation and your support network. This process can take 3-6 months in total to complete.
4. Your Skills to Foster Training
4. Your Skills to Foster Training
- During your assessment, you will be invited to attend relevant courses such as a 3-day Skills to Foster training course. This is to ensure you’re equipped with the skills and knowledge to always provide exceptional care for our children. It is led by one of our experienced Social Workers, as well as one of our existing foster care.
5. Your Fostering Panel
4. Your Skills to Foster Training
6. Your First Foster Child
- The final step in the assessment process is the Fostering Panel, that consists of a number of professionals with a range of skills and experience in caring for children. During the panel, you’ll be asked a series of questions about your reasons for deciding to foster. After the panel, the professionals will decide whether to approve you as a carer.
6. Your First Foster Child
4. Your Skills to Foster Training
6. Your First Foster Child
- If Your Panel is successful, it will mark the beginning of your journey as a valued member of the Fostering Dimensions family, as one of our newly approved foster carers. Your Supervising Social worker and placement officer will work closely with you, using the information we have about you, to find the best match for your very first foster child. We're here to support you every step of the way.