Beacon Fostering Logo lowres

Learn about fostering

Fostering is about providing care and support for children or young people who can no longer live with their birth parents for varying reasons.

These may include challenging behaviours for the child or young person, life difficulties for the parents or other safeguarding matters. The child or young person is placed with an approved fostering family for their temporary or long-term care.

Beacon Fostering provides you will all the support, training and commitment to be a foster carer when you start your fostering journey, or if you are an existing foster carer looking to transfer.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema
Photo by Tembinkosi Sikupela
On 31 March 2023, there were over 83,000 children and young persons in care, and 68% were supported by fostering families. Fostering is often the preferred and best care for the child or young person to feel safe, secure and have a child-friendly home environment. Although it can come with challenges, fostering provides amazing stories of love, achievement and positive outcomes for children and young persons. This stems from the dedicated support, hard work and effort from fostering families (including, in some cases, their own family and children) alongside their social worker and other professionals.
Download a Guide to Fostering
Photo by Aswin
Photo by Volodymyr Hryshchenko

The fostering process – in overview

The journey for a child or young person for fostering starts when their needs or reasons for coming into care are identified or shared with professionals.

The child or young person is the responsibility of their local authority, and these authorities partner with independent fostering agencies, like Beacon Fostering, to provide the best match and ongoing support. It is important to understand and recognise the individual needs of each child, teenager or young person. This allows them to thrive, achieve and develop as individuals in a safe and loving environment.

There is no set time for the length of placement or care to each child and young person from their fostering family. This depends on the outcomes, care options and overall placement stability.

Your journey to becoming a foster carer

Your journey starts with learning about fostering, before making an enquiry by contacting us.

We can provide all the information you need to understand fostering, and help you make a real difference to the lives of children and young persons. There is an assessment process that will support you throughout, and we provide excellent training to empower you and give you all the confidence you need in your role as a foster carer.