Learn all about how to become a foster carer with Ownlife Fostering. For even more information about how you can give a child their Ownlife, visit our website: http://ownlifefostering.co.uk/how-to-become-a-foster-carer

1. A GUIDE TO UNDERSTAND THE
BASICS OF FOSTER CARE
BY OWNLIFE FOSTERING

2. WHY
OWNLIFE
FOSTERING?
• Our name reflects
our aim which is
to inspire the
children/young
people placed in
our care to “own”
and take control of
their “own lives”
• Our carers
deserve the same
quality of life and
we ensure this by
supporting them
24/7 so that they,
in turn, can
support the young
people in their care
and their own
families at the
same time.
• We are a family
run business
providing the
‘personal touch’
• We promote a
career model for
foster carers
• Training Support
and Development
Standards (TSD)
and Assessment
incorporates
Children’s
Workforce
Development
Council (CWDC)
standards
• Post approval
training which
can lead to
Diploma in Child
Care
• Possibility of
ongoing work
opportunities i.e.
outreach support of
a fostered child
aged 16+

3. WHAT IS FOSTER
CARE?
Placing a child with a foster family is the favourite option for
Local Authorities as this offers the nearest replacement to living
with their birth family.
The length of time a child remains in care can vary from a few
weeks to the whole of their lives until they reach 18.
Our mission with any child placed through us is that they stay
as long as possible with the same family, so as to avoid any
further disruption in their lives.
I FOSTER A 14 YEAR OLD TEENAGE BOY, I'VE GIVEN HIM AN
EXCELLENT LIFE AND TRIED TO HELP HIM BECOME VERY
INDEPENDANT, THERE IS NO GREATER FEELING THAN
HELPING A YOUNG PERSON IN NEED.
Foster care is when a child is cared for by someone who is not
from their birth family. It is most common that the foster child
lives with their foster carers on a full-time basis. However the
length of their stay can vary depending on the circumstances as
well as their individual needs.
Children can come into care at any age from 0-18. The back-
ground reason for being taken into care differs for each child or
young person, however, the fact is that their birth parents have
not been able to bring them up themselves.

4. HOW TO
BECOME A
FOSTER CARER
• Please complete our enquiry form at
www.ownlifefostering.co.uk/contact-us and
will contact you within 24 hours to answer all
of your questions.
• We will use this opportunity to discuss
fostering as a career opportunity for you,
arrange an initial meeting in our office then
arrange a home visit at your convenience and
talk to you in depth about becoming a foster
carer.
• For the next stage we will assign a social
worker to you who would start the formal
process which involves them coming to your
house 6 – 8 times. You will also need to
attend a 3 day training session and we aim
to have the whole process completed in
approximately 8 weeks.
• The final stage is for you and your assessing
social worker to attend a fostering panel for
consideration of approval. Finally, you will
start your new career in Foster care.
• You could be only 8-12 weeks away from your
new career.

5. WHY FOSTER?
There are loads of reasons young people come into care. The
reasons are rarely the fault of the child; Invariably, the significant
adults in their lives have let them down
No child or young person chooses or wants to be in care. When
they come to you they need:
• Tolearn how to trust adults again
• Tofeel safe and to be safe
• Tobe listened to
• Tohave their own room and privacy relative to their age
• Tobe equal
• Toreally feel they belong as part of your family and notbe an
outsider/second class
• Tomaintain contact with their birth family
• Toexplore and come to terms with their past
• Toreceive a good education and fulfil their potential
• Tobe prepared for independence at the appropriate time
• Tobe able to grow into a full sense of themselves in a
positive environment
• Tobe healthy

6. OUR COMMITMENTS
OwnLife Fostering is registered with Ofsted and is
committed to working in partnership with local
authorities, other professionals and foster carers
on the principle that the child’s welfare is
paramount.
Our recruitment,assessment
and matching service is robust
and thorough in order to
achieve excellent outcomes for
children
and young people and a
rewarding career forcarers.
Our carers are carefully chosen
and trained in Training,
Support and Development
Standards (TSD standards) and
have on-going post approval
training, support, supervision
and personal development. We
empower them to encourage
their foster child to be involved
in all aspects of their own care
and to be actively involved in
identifying opportunities for
personaldevelopment.
Children and youngpeople are offered a safe happy
environment where they can flourish and develop
their potential to the full thus enabling them to
participate positivelyin society. Well-planned and
structured programmes of care and education are there
to meet the identified needs of the children so as to
enable them to develop into balanced individuals and
achieve well in education.
There is a positive culture throughout the organisation
to encourage disadvantaged children and young people
to thrive emotionally and to develop resilience with
the unstinting support of the foster carers entrusted
with their care. We work with our carers to maintain
good family links in the interests of the child’s overall
development (unless there is a child protection or other
serious reasons not to).
Medical, healthcare,
dietary needs have our
attention as do religious
and cultural
requirements.

7. / 7 /
FAQ
SHOW OLD DO I HAVE TO BE TO BECOME A
FOSTER CARER?
Anyone over the age of 23 can apply
to be a Foster Carer.
DOES MY HOME NEED SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS?
Only to be a secure environment, to
be kept clean and tidy and you must
have a spare bedroom.
WHAT SKILLS DO I NEED TO BECOME A FOSTER
CARER?
Good communication skills both written and verbal essential. But most
importantly, to have space in your heart to care for a young person in
need.