Can I choose who I foster?

We’re often asked by prospective foster carers about how much choice they will have over the children they foster.

We have over 1100 children in care across our 3 Local Authorities (Cheshire West and Chester Council, Halton Borough Council and Warrington Borough Council) and children requiring foster care vary in age, ethnicity, race and religion.

As part of the assessment process you will discuss with your assessing social worker your preferences. For example you may have an age preference due to your family dynamics or your skillset with children. You may have professional or personal experience of caring for children with special educational needs or disabilities and feel you have a skillset to share. We provide foster carers with training and support around caring for children of different ages and children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Once approved as a foster carer, if you are available to foster you will be contacted by a member of the fostering team to discuss a child with you. As part of the matching process the fostering team consider which foster carers they have available and who they feel would be best suited to care for the child. They will take into consideration the child’s individual needs and how they will be best met, considering factors such as the foster carer’s location to the child’s school and family time location.

You are in control, you can decide which children you feel you are able to care for on a child-by-child basis. Being open and honest about what you can do is in the child’s best interest. With every will in the world, no matter how fantastic a foster carer you are, you will not be right for every child but you will be perfect for some!

Every foster family is different. Some foster carers with their own children may prefer to foster children of similar age to their own so they can enjoy activities together, others may prefer teenagers who are more independent. We encourage foster carers to try and not make too many assumptions about age as every child is unique.

What age is right for my family?

Children under 5 require a full time foster carer, although many potential foster carers think they will prefer young children, infants and toddlers require a lot of work, they may be behind in their development and require frequent family time.

As children aged 5+ are in school this can be easier for some foster carers to manage. You will need to be patient though as children of this age range may be behind in their development and will need extra help to thrive.

Teenagers are much more independent and enjoy spending lots of time with friends. They can communicate their needs better, will remember their time with foster carers more than younger children and you can help them celebrate achievements. You will need resilience as they may challenge you due to traumatic childhood experiences but often foster carers with teenagers will maintain lifelong relationships and support them into adulthood.

Do you consider the child’s background?

In an ideal world, children would live with foster carers of a similar ethnicity, race and religion. However there are too many children in care and not enough foster carers to always allow this to happen. We provide foster carers with training and support around caring for children from a different ethnicity, race and religion. It’s vital that they learn about the child’s heritage, provide opportunities for the child to interact with people of a similar background and celebrate events as a family.

For some children they need to be the only child in the home so they receive one to one support and attention from their foster carer. If a child has suffered physical or sexual trauma they may require a foster carer of a particular gender to ensure they feel comfortable. If a male child for example has had a complex childhood they may benefit from visible male role-models. We will always keep a child’s best interest at the centre of our decision making and our fostering teams know their foster carers really well and who will be best suited to care for a child.

Understandably you may have other questions about fostering, if you do please get in touch with our friendly team on 01925 444100, email fosteringrecruitment@warrington.gov.uk or click here to Enquire – Foster 4.