You could give a home to a vulnerable child when they need it most.
Fostering or adoption can be one of the most rewarding things you can do. Your love and support can make a huge difference to a child’s life, and to yours.
We will give you all the tools and specialist support you need to help the children in your care reach their dreams.
We work with a wonderfully diverse community of foster carers and adopters, and welcome people from all walks of life.
It doesn’t matter what your religious or cultural background is, whether you’re single, married, divorced, in a civil partnership, a homeowner or renting, we believe you can foster or adopt.
What’s most important is that you are caring, patient, understanding and can offer the children and young people in your care a positive and loving environment.
You don’t need special qualifications or childcare experience. We’ll provide on-going support and training programmes to develop your skills and knowledge.
To foster, all you need is to:
- be at least 21 years-old
- have a spare bedroom big enough for a child or young person to live in
- to be a full-time resident in the UK or have leave to remain
- to be able to give the time to care for a child or young person
It’s also important that you can offer a smoke-free environment.
Once approved, you will become part of a network of foster carers who, alongside your dedicated social worker, will provide you with on-going support and advice.
Why choose us
At Barnardo’s we are passionate about making a positive difference to the lives of the children and young people we support, as well as our foster carers and adopters.
We listen and respond to the needs of our carers/adopters which is why we offer a comprehensive preparation, training and support fostering/adoption programme, including access to support groups, foster carer or adopter forums and family social events.
We have the experience and expertise
We have over 100 years’ experience of successfully matching and providing homes for children and young people with the right families, particularly providing fostering or adoptive families for the children who wait the longest:
- brothers and sisters
- older children
- Black and minority ethnic children
- children with additional or complex needs
We are on hand to deliver the support you need: our 24/7 support helpline support is staffed by qualified and experienced Barnardo’s family placement social workers.
We offer generous financial support for foster carers
We know that foster carers work hard and devote their time, expertise and love to those children who have not had the best start in life. All our carers receive generous financial support, including a taxable income as well as a weekly allowance to help with the cost of looking after a child.
What is the adoption process?
The first step – get in touch
We understand that the decision to adopt is a huge step and so we’ll provide you with support every step of the way. On average it takes six months to become an approved adoptive parent – but we believe you can do it, and so should you.
Making an enquiry is an opportunity for you to find out more about adoption and the application process, to help you decide if adoption is something that you want to pursue. There is no obligation or commitment if you make an enquiry, and one of our friendly, expert staff will contact you for an initial chat.
More information about the adoption process can be found at https://www.barnardos.org.uk/adopt/adoption-process
Whatever their start, we’re here for their future.
Contact Barnardo’s today on 0800 0277280 or [email protected]
