We need all kinds of people to become foster carers for all types of children.
We place around 800 children a year in foster homes. Without a suitable foster family available locally, children sometimes have to be placed a long way from their school and home.
We welcome foster carers from different backgrounds with all kinds of skills. We particularly need foster carers who can look after older children, children with disabilities and brothers and sisters.
Fostering means caring for someone else’s child or children.
Foster children do not become the full legal responsibility of their foster carers. Foster carers share responsibility for the child they look after with the local authority and the child’s parents.
There are many different types of foster care. Fostering placements can range from as little as a few weeks to a few years but in a minority of cases some children are fostered until they grow up. You can read about some of the
different types of placements here or watch a video of existing foster carers talking about their experience below.
Why should you foster?
Choosing to foster is going to be one of the most important decisions you will ever make. Being a foster carer isn’t always easy but the rewards are huge.
You will be helping some of Essex’s most vulnerable young people. Knowing that you can change a child’s life forever can give a tremendous amount of satisfaction.
Within these pages you’ll find our
enquiry form and more information on: