General
Embracing Faith in Fostering: Respecting Beliefs and Creating a Supportive Home
Faith can be a deeply personal and powerful source of strength—especially during life’s more challenging moments. For many people entering the world…
Celebrating Easter With Your Foster Child!
Easter is a special time of year for many families—an uplifting celebration filled with faith, tradition, and togetherness. Church services, Easter egg…
Helping Your Foster Child With Their Homework
In your role as a foster parent, you can actively support homework, which will benefit your child’s academic trajectory. Giving homework advice…
What Should My Foster Child Call Me?
It’s best to introduce yourself using the name you want the youngster to call you when they first arrive at your house….
Beacon Fostering Secure Sponsorship With Local Football Club
We are delighted to announce that we have agreed to sponsor local grassroots football team in Manchester, Withington Wanderers F.C. Withington Wanderers…
Horse Therapy Benefits for Children and Young People in Foster Care
Today is Gold Cup day at Cheltenham Races! Horses can have a great impact on children and young people living in foster…
When is Foster Care Fortnight 2025?
The Fostering Network’s annual Foster Care Fortnight campaign aims to increase awareness of foster care and demonstrate the positive life-changing effects of…
Lloyd Kelly: Foster Care Story
From Foster Care to playing Champions League Football for Juventus in Turin. This is Lloyd Kelly’s story. Many people will know Lloyd…
Honouring Foster Carers on International Women’s Day
The 8th March 2025 is International Women’s Day. Today, it is important to recognise the great contributions that women have made to…
Understanding DBS Checks for Foster Parents
Fostering is essential because it offers a secure, caring home to children who are unable to remain with their biological relatives. A…
Support Networks for Foster Carers
Numerous foster carers have access to their own support systems, which are composed of friends, family, and contacts in the local community….
Can I Foster if I’m Single?
Depending on your unique situation, including if you work, the age of your children and their level of need on you, and…
Can You Foster With a Criminal Record?
Having a criminal past does not automatically make you unable to work as a foster carer. Your application process takes into account…
Can You Foster a Child if You Have a Dog?
Many people have misconceptions about pets and fostering, particularly regarding the kinds of animals that are acceptable in homes. However, what is…
Why Should You Foster?
With the current national shortage of foster carers, it is a necessity for more foster carers across the country in order to…
Transferring Fostering Agency – FAQ’s
Can I switch foster agencies? Yes, you can move from your local authority to Beacon Fostering or another fostering organisation. Overall, this…
Do Foster Carers Have To Pay Council Tax?
A frequently asked question in fostering is whether or not foster carers have to pay certain taxes. Within this blog, we will…
LGBTQ+ History Month and Fostering in the LGBTQ+ Community
February is LGBTQ+ History Month, an annual observance that celebrates the rich history and achievements of the LGBTQ+ community. Within this blog…
Hobbies for Children in Foster Care
Children and young people have talent. Believe us, during our tenure as a foster agency, we have witnessed the most amazing occurrences….
An Overview of the Fostering Process
A summary When a child or young person’s needs or reasons for entering foster care are determined or communicated to professionals, the…
Fostering tax records and relief
You are considered self-employed when you foster and need to register with HMRC. For the children and youth placed with you, you…
Differences Between Fostering Agencies and Local Authorities
Within this blog we will highlight the differences between fostering agencies and local authorities… Local Authorities All children in the care system,…
Coffee and Fostering Information Session, 30th January in Wythenshawe!
Beacon Fostering are hosting a coffee & fostering information session in Wythenshawe on Thursday 30th January 2025 If you are interested in…
Foster Carer Recruitment Targets
Seventy-five percent of the 100,437 children in care in the UK today reside with foster families. Due to the inability to find…
Beacon Fostering: Meet the team!
At Beacon Fostering, we have a real family ethos as we strive for our foster carers to feel as though they are…
Coffee and Fostering Information Session, 23rd January in Liverpool!
Beacon Fostering are hosting a coffee and fostering information session in Liverpool on Tuesday 23rd January. If you are interested in fostering…
Happy New Year from The Beacon Fostering Family!
Wishing you all a very Happy New Year from all of us at Beacon Fostering! Throughout 2025, Beacon Fostering remains intent on…
How can friends and family support foster carers?
If you are considering fostering, you might be curious about the involvement of friends and family within the household. Can they participate…
Merry Christmas from Beacon Fostering
Merry Christmas from all the team at Beacon Fostering! Christmas is a great time to not only consider fostering but also to…
Tips for your first Christmas with your foster child
For many children, Christmas represents a thrilling season characterised by gifts, festive decorations, and cherished moments with family. However, this experience can…
What happens at fostering panel?
During the fostering application process, potential foster carers are required to have a meeting with a ‘fostering panel.’ This may either be…
Will fostering impact my benefits?
Can you foster whilst receiving benefits? Yes, it is indeed possible to foster while receiving benefits, and this should not hinder your…
Emergency foster care
What is emergency fostering? Emergency fostering refers to the placement of children who are at an immediate risk into temporary foster care…
Beacon Sporting Chance
At Beacon Fostering our team are extremely passionate about sport and we believe that every child deserves an equal opportunity to take…
Being care experienced as a protected characteristic
Under the Equality Act 2010, it is illegal to unlawfully discriminate against those based on a ‘protected’ characteristic….
Applying to be a foster carer
Are you interested in fostering? Do you want to apply to foster with Beacon Fostering but you are unsure how to? During…
Fostering Myths
There are many misconceptions when it comes to fostering. During this blog, we are going to debunk some common fostering myths! Myth…
What is Respite Fostering?
Respite fostering gives other foster parents or birth families a temporary, much-needed break. By becoming a respite foster carer, you enable a…
Why is there a shortage of foster carers?
Across the country we have experienced a loss of over 1,000 fostering households in the last 18 months. It is commonly known…
Criteria For Becoming A Foster Carer
Who can foster? Fostering should be inclusive and diverse and anyone can have the potential to be a foster carer. When it…
Do I need qualifications to become a foster carer?
A common misconception when it comes to fostering is individuals who believe they cannot foster as they have no qualifications. You DO…
What is the average pay for foster carers?
The average pay for foster carers is difficult to understand as there is no requirement for fostering agencies or local authorities to…
What is the hardest part of fostering?
What is the hardest part of fostering? Fostering can have a profound emotional impact, both positively and negatively. In this blog, we’ll…
Foster representation in television
Many of us seek media that represent varied experiences and backgrounds, and foster care is no different….
Fostering vs Adoption
There is often some confusion in differentiating between fostering and adoption. Within this blog, I will attempt to make understanding the differences…
Foster Care Fortnight 13th-26th May 2024
Foster Care Fortnight is around the corner and over the next two weeks Beacon Fostering will be using our social media channels…
Foster carers required locally in Liverpool with an 11% increase in children in care over the past 5 years!
There is an estimated shortage of over 7,000 fostering families across England. Foster Care Fortnight, aims to highlight this need and promote…
Foster carer allowances increased!
For the next financial year from April 2024, foster carer allowances have been increased following a 6.8% rise as shared by the…
Safer Internet Day – keeping children safe
Safer Internet Day was recently held on Tuesday 6 February 2024 as supported and led by the UK Safer Internet Centre. The…