St Christopher’s is a charity creating brighter futures for children and young people in care. As a leading provider of children's services, we always seek to develop our practice and find new ways of supporting young people.
Freephone 0800 234 6282
- FAQs
- Careers
-
Accessibility
Accessibility controls
St Christopher’s website is built to be accessible for all users so that you can find the information you want. Change your settings below to suit your needs.
- Contact Us
-
-
All our services have the same goal: to support children and young people to fulfil their potential, grow into independent adults and have happy, successful futures.
-
There are many ways you can support St Christopher's work with children and young people. Find out how you can help young people reach their goals.
I want to foster!
How do I do it?
Application process
Application process to become a foster parent with St Christopher’s
There are five stages to becoming approved as a foster carer and it usually takes around six months to complete the process.
As we are a small fostering agency, we can spend time supporting you during the application process.
When you’re a new carer they’re with you for every step of the way – the application process, when a child moves in with you and when new situations arise that you aren’t sure how to manage yet.
Enquiry
When you make an enquiry with us, a member of our recruitment team will get in touch with you to chat about fostering. You can ask any questions you like, whether it’s about training, fostering payments or simply what type of children you would be looking after.
Information meeting
Once you’re ready to proceed with your enquiry, a member of our team will visit you at home. This is so they can get to know you better and make sure you can provide somewhere safe for a young person to live.
Application
The next step is your formal application to become a foster parent. Once we have received this, you enter the assessment stage.
Assessment
Throughout the assessment you will get to know your future social worker and other staff at St Christopher’s. You will also attend Skills to Foster, a specialist training course for people thinking of fostering. This offers you the chance to meet other people at the start of their fostering journey and some of our existing carers, who can tell you about their experiences.
Panel
This is the final stage of the application, when you are formally recommended for approval as a foster carer. Panel members include childcare professionals, specialists in areas such as health or education, care leavers and St Christopher’s staff. They may ask questions about your plans for fostering, and you can ask them anything too.
How can I prepare to be a foster carer?
Enquire about fostering
Who can foster?
What are the requirements to become a foster carer? We ask that you have a desire to look after vunerable young people, time, commitment & a spare bedroom.
Learn More
Allowances and fees
Foster carers are paid an allowance to cover the cost of a child or young person living in your home. Our allowances are competitive & vary by region.
Learn More