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.
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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.
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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.
Think you can't foster?
Think again!
Who can foster?
Who can foster?
There are lots of misconceptions around who can become a foster carer and what type of person you have to be.
No child in care is the same. They are all individuals with different personalities, dreams and life experiences. This means we need foster carers from all different backgrounds too so that we can find the perfect match for every young person.
It’s really important to have unconditional regard for people. Patience is key and you have to be flexible - sometimes your plans for the day can go out the window.
Foster care requirements
What do you need to become a foster carer?
- To live in the West Midlands, Essex, London or Peterborough;
- One or more spare bedrooms;
- A driving licence;
- Some experience with children and young people;
- And the time, commitment and energy to make a difference to a child’s life.
Lots of people worry they are too old to become a foster carer, but there is actually no age limit for foster care. We have St Christopher’s foster carers of all ages, from their twenties to their seventies.
We recognise that older people can bring a lot of life experience to fostering that could come in useful when looking after a child, just as younger foster carers may have a better understanding of the issues facing today’s young people.
Yes! Your marital status has no impact on your fostering application. Some young people are actually better suited to living with only one parent, so we need single foster carers just as much as couples.
Because St Christopher’s is a small fostering agency, it means we can offer extra support that larger organisations can’t give. As a single carer you will need a good support network of family and friends around you to help out, but our team are on hand 24/7 to help with anything else you might need too.
Of course – whether you’re single or in a couple, we encourage applications from the LGBT community. Sometimes a child may feel more comfortable with a gay foster carer as they will have a better understanding of their experiences and the support they need.
Although St Christopher’s was founded as a Christian organisation, we no longer have religious ties. We welcome foster carers from all faiths and backgrounds and use this information to match a child to the right foster family.
Foster parents have to be open to the religious needs of the young person they are caring for, whether it’s by taking them to religious venues or celebrating special events.
We accept transfer applications from existing foster carers. Get in touch with us to find out how the process works.