Fostering

Foster carers look after other people's children as part of their own family, often while the child's family is having severe problems. The children who need care can be of any age - from new-born babies to teenagers - and currently Hampshire Social Services has over 800 children living with foster families. There are always children coming into our care - and we need more foster carers to help us give these children the support they need.

Could you be a foster carer?

There is no standard 'foster carer' - but the people who become carers all have one thing in common, a love of children and a desire to help them. Our foster carers admit that fostering isn't always easy, but they all talk of the satisfaction they get from the work they do. All foster carers are different and can offer different things - and between them they make up the range of care that's needed. For example, some people look after a disabled child for perhaps a weekend a month to give his or her parents a break, while others care for a child full-time for several years. Some people take just one child at a time, others are able to take two or three, or to look after a group of brothers and sisters. We need people to do all these things.

Find out more from the Hampshire fostering website

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