Who can foster
Foster Carers come from a very wide range of backgrounds.
Who can foster?
Key Assets is a diverse and welcoming fostering agency, so we open our foster carer applications to a wide range of people. Your marital status, race, culture, sexual orientation, home ownership status and income don’t exclude you from applying for fostering. In fact, we believe the diversity of the foster carers we work with is positive when finding the best possible family for a foster child.
The most important thing we look for in a potential foster carer is that they can offer a safe, caring and supportive home for a child or young person who might have had a difficult life so far.
Here’s an idea of some of the qualities we look for in potential foster carers.
- You should be over 25.
- You preferably will have a spare bedroom for each foster child.
- You genuinely want to help children and young people.
- You’re aware that fostering will impact your own children and extended family.
- You can cope in difficult and sometimes stressful situations.
- You’re patient – it might take time for your foster child to accept your care.
- You understand that many children who come into foster care show their distress and confusion through their behaviour.
- You are willing to participate in training and other opportunities we offer to build your capacity to respond to the needs of children who have suffered trauma.
- You are open to diversity and difference including ethnicity, race, sexual orientation.
- You are able to work as part of a team with Key Assets social workers and other staff in the best interests of the child.
- You have a strong network of family and friends who will help with the pressures of fostering.
Depending on the type of foster care you wish to take on, there may be other requirements. For example, when fostering very high needs children, such as in our Pathways to Stability program, the Carer will need to be available most of the time so working outside the home may not be possible. As you look through our website, you will see that there are a number of different types of foster care Key Assets offers so look for what best suits you and your family.