Fostering With Us

What is Foster Care?

Foster care changes lives. It offers children and young people a caring and supportive home when their biological families are unable to look after them. A child might be placed in foster care on a temporary or permanent basis. Foster carers offer compassion and kindness, providing a nurturing home and ensuring that a young person’s emotional wellbeing and developmental needs are met.

How is Foster Care Different From Adoption?

The main difference between fostering and adoption, is that adoptive parents take full legal responsibility for the child and the placement is permanent.

The Foster Carer Assessment Process

We guide you every step of the way when you start your fostering journey with us. Here’s what to expect:

Contact Us

Click Find Out More, fill in some brief details and we will call to have an initial discussion. At the end of this call, you will be asked if you are ready to progress to the next stage, which is a home visit. You may want more time to think, so you can get back in touch with us when you are ready.

Home Visit

Our Manager will visit you to talk in more details about fostering with Step by Step Fostering. If you feel ready to proceed, and we agree, you will be invited to the Skills to Foster training.

Skills to Foster Training

These courses are run regularly throughout the year

Assessment

After you have completed the course, and if you and Step by Step Fostering agree that you should proceed, you will be allocated an assessor. The assessment will take between 4 and 6 months.

Fostering Panel

After the assessment is complete, your application will go to our panel for approval. Once approved, we will start looking for a placement for you.