Do you have a Spare Bedroom? Start Fostering Today!
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Did you know that there is a huge need for foster carers across the UK, and not enough fosterers to fill that demand? Time Out Fostering are searching for spare rooms that could help change the life of children in care.
Fostering is a topic that has always been close to my heart. As a child my grandparents would foster children. They were emergency foster carers for a long time, taking in one or two children at very short notice until longer term foster placements were found. It meant I was always aware of fostering, the types of children that needed help and the incredible role that foster carers play in those children’s lives.
My grandparents’ last foster children ended up being with them for over ten years. I grew up with them and they were a big part of the family. Like many foster children, they didn’t have the best start in life but having a secure home with my grandparents throughout their school years made such a difference to them.
Why fostering is important
Foster carers give vulnerable children a secure environment to grow up in. After an often tricky start, they have a home, their own bedroom and people to turn to when they need advice or simply someone to talk to.
My eldest brother spent time in care homes when he was growing up, and I know that having a foster home, and foster parents to look out for him, would have made a huge difference to him and the experiences that he had throughout his childhood.
Who needs to be fostered?
There are so many children who need fostering across the country. Children and young people of all ages and from all backgrounds end up in the care system when they are unable to live with their birth parents for any length of time.
This may be because of a family illness, family breakdown and problems at home, or a situation where their welfare is threatened. One child could need fostering or, depending on how much room you have, you could be asked to foster siblings to help keep brothers and sisters together.
Why should you foster?
People foster children for many different reasons. Fostering gave my grandparents a new focus in life once their own children had grown up and moved away from home. It was rewarding and something they loved doing, only really stopping when ill health meant fostering was no longer possible.
Did you know that you don’t need to be married to foster? You don’t need to own your own home either. You simply need a spare room and to be able to provide a safe, secure home for a child or children who need it.
You could foster regardless of age, gender, religion or sexuality – and my grandparents really weren’t the youngest when they started fostering. Single people are able to foster and you can also foster if you have a disability or face mental health challenges. You could be a foster carer as long as you are well and fit and able to meet the needs of any child you are approved to look after.
Don’t let misconceptions stop you from changing a child’s life. Whatever your circumstances, if you have a spare room and think that you could foster, contact Time Out Fostering today. They are a small independent agency that really care for their foster carers, offering support around the clock on every single fostering journey.
Are you or someone you know considering becoming a foster carer and want to have a no obligation chat to find out more? Simply fill in this form and one of Time Out’s friendly team will be in touch at a time that suits you. You could change a child’s life!
