Who can Foster?
We welcome applicants from all walks of life. Foster carers need to come from a variety of backgrounds and have different life experiences, skills and qualities to help meet the needs of children and young people in care. Being a foster carer requires commitment, patience and providing a loving home. Foster carers provide a stable and nurturing environment, focusing on a child’s physical, emotional and educational needs whilst being able to provide a good level of care.
You must have a spare bedroom, but you don’t have to own your own house.
You have to be over 21 to foster, but there’s no upper age limit.
You’ll need patience, energy, resilience and commitment.
Other factors to consider
We have listed some of the areas that will need to be considered when applying to be a foster carer. Speak to a Lotus team member about individual circumstances.
- Your health – are you fit to care for a child for now and for the foreseeable future?
- Your home – is it safe for a child or young person?
- Your friends and family – are there people who can support you to foster?
- Your experience with children and young people – through family, work, or volunteering
"The fostering agency provides good-quality care. Outcomes for children are positive. They develop secure attachments with their foster families and have a very strong sense of belonging. A child told the inspector: ‘Everything here is fine. The family are like my real family. I feel at home'."
Journey to approval
We welcome foster carers from all walks of life. Becoming an approved foster carer is an important process, the team at Lotus will be here to guide you through each step.
