Is there room in your life for Sam?

Types of foster care

To meet the needs of looked after children we provide different types of care, including:

Short term fostering

Traditional fostering placements for children ranging from birth to 18 years. Children and young people either return home or move on to adoption or permanent fostering.

Permanent fostering

A permanent home for children or sibling groups aged 6 to 12 years. This provides support through childhood into their adult years.

Fostering of disabled children

Care for children of all ages with physical disabilities or learning disabilities.

Sibling group foster care

Placements that allow brothers and sisters of any age to stay together.

Short break foster care

Children and foster carers sometimes need to take a break. Short break carers provide overnight, weekend or longer stays for children in foster care.

Who are foster carers

Fostering is about looking after children and young people in partnership with their parents and social workers. People who become carers are from varied backgrounds enabling the best match to be made with the children who need looking after.

Foster carers can be:

single, married or living with a partner
male or female
people with or without parenting experience
unemployed or employed
a tenant or a householder
from any cultural background or religion

As a foster carer you will need

time
patience
tolerance
energy
a genuine liking of children
...and a sense of humour

Benefits to foster carers

Foster carers

make a real difference in children's lives
help to keep families together
help to re-unite families
give children a positive experience of family life
help children to feel good about themselves
have an enriched experience of life

The support that foster carers receive

a dedicated fostering supervising social worker
skills training
opportunity to do National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ)
links to other foster carers and support of the Dudley Foster Care Association
membership of the national Fostering Network
an allowance for the child or children
financial assistance with equipment (pushchair, cot, car seats etc)
24 hour support

Please contact us for further information.