Could you foster?
Could you make a difference to a child’s life?
There are lots of reasons why we need foster carers for children of all ages who are unable to live with their families.
Foster carers provide a safe, caring home for children who need it. We’ll help you to develop the skills that you need to nurture and support our children and if you watch our videos you’ll see that you get many rewards in return.
Who can foster? Our basic criteria
There are lots of myths around who can foster, however there are only a few things we insist on, the basic criteria are:
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you must have at least one spare bedroom
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you must be over 21 years of age
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be a full time resident in the UK
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if you’re a couple you must have been living together for over 12 months
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if you have birth children they must be over 12 months old
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live within a 20 mile radius of Dudley
We know peoples circumstances change. If you don’t meet the criteria now but you expect to in the future, you can still get in touch and have a chat. We’ll then follow up with you when it’s more appropriate.
If you do meet the criteria above, you could foster for Dudley!
We welcome applications from:
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People of any employment status – retired, self-employed, employed or unemployed
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Single people or couples – regardless of partnership status or sexual orientation
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All communities – people from all faiths or none
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Housing – you need to be able to offer a spare bedroom but it doesn’t matter whether you own or rent your home
You don’t need any formal qualifications – you will be trained with the skills to foster and be supported to achieve the training and development standards in England. You can continue to work and foster, depending on the type of fostering you want to do and the needs of the children you will be caring for.
To find out more read our FAQs
What makes a good foster carer?
Foster carers have lots of skills and qualities. If you can tick at least a few of the boxes below you could have what it takes to be one of our carers.
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can see the potential in every child you foster
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provide a positive experience of family life to children and young people
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can meet the physical and emotional needs of the children you care for
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have patience, warmth and understanding
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have the time to foster
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have lots of energy and a positive attitude
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have a sense of humour
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offer a secure, caring and loving home
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the willingness to work as part of a team to help keep children safe.
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be able to build good relationships with children
The rewards
Fostering is one of the most rewarding jobs there is. All carers will experience highs and lows but when the rewards are as amazing as those below who wouldn’t think fostering is the best job in the world?
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the satisfaction of making a difference in a child’s life
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give children a positive experience of family life
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help them improve school attendance
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help children to feel good about themselves
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have an enriched experience of life
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help a child to move on to independence
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help a child fulfil ambitions and goals, and reach their full potential.
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see a child overcome challenges
A bit about our children
Our children are all different. Different ages and genders, some have siblings, some have disabilities and they all need a home because of different circumstances. They all have their own special qualities and different support needs.
The thing that makes them all the same is there need for a foster family to give them a safe, loving and stable home, sometimes for a short period of time and sometimes on a more permanent basis.
That’s why our carers are so amazing, they make their homes the safe, loving and stable place our children need no matter what their background is.
Find out more about what our children have to say about us and how the birth children of our carers feel about being part of a foster family.