Who Can Foster?

When Community Foster Care was established in 1989, its founders had an idea to do things differently, challenging the status quo around foster care recruitment and provision.

Through an innovative and creative approach, CFC sought foster carers from the harder to reach groups; our workers immersed themselves in the local communities and challenged the existing ideas about who can foster.

The aim was to support communities, provide local foster families for local children, working in areas of economic deprivation, providing employment and improving skills. 

These principles are held as dearly today as they were then.

As a result, we believe in the potential of people and this is always our starting point when we work with people to become foster carers.

We welcome people from all backgrounds, communities and circumstances. We believe that children belong in families and their needs are varied. Our children and young people need a wide range of family types.

You may be:

• single, married or divorced
• male or female
• a parent with young or grown-up children
• someone who’s never had children
• a single parent
• in a same-sex relationship
• employed or unemployed (employed people who need to work full-time will be considered for respite foster care, ie weekends and school holidays to support other foster carers)
• You may have a criminal record for non-violent offences or cautions in the past

You will need:

• a good-sized spare room for each child
• evidence of parenting skills, either with your own children or other people's 
• one person based at home if you want to foster full-time
• alignment with our values
• a commitment to lifelong learning and being open to a challenge
• a commitment to working in partnership with the child's birth family and professionals.
• an ability to stand up for children and young people and promote them
• a willingness to be an active part of our fostering community.

Please read our Foster Carer Profiles to see the rewards fostering brings and click on our Fostering FAQs for more information on becoming a foster carer for Community Foster Care.