Who can be a foster carer?
The fostering team at Rutland County Council would love to talk to you about the skills, experience and knowledge that you can bring to the role of a foster carer. We are looking for foster carers who have patience, empathy and a good sense of humour.
You need to be over 21 to foster for Rutland but we would welcome a discussion if you are aged between 18 and 21 to explore opportunities to support our children and young people. There is no upper age limit.
We are looking for carers who have space in their home for a child. This can be a spare bedroom, or for children under the age of 2, space in the foster carers bedroom.
We would like you to have experience of caring for or working with children or young people. If you are worried about this, we encourage you to call us and we can discuss opportunities to gain relevant experience.
You must have no convictions for offences against children or any other criminal history that may affect your ability to foster.
Diversity and Inclusion
We are an inclusive fostering service and we welcome you regardless of your gender, race, sexuality, living arrangements, age, and employment status.
We’re looking for carers who:
- have patience, understanding and a good sense of humour
- enjoy spending time with children and young people
- are happy to receive support and guidance
- can be flexible but able to provide structure
- are able to commit time to a child or young person
- can develop an understanding of the impact of trauma on children and their development
For lots of reasons, almost 60,000 children in England are living with foster families. This may be for days, weeks, months or years and sometimes as a short break; this is why we welcome carers who can offer care from a night each month to a permanent home for a child.
What we look for
We’re looking for people who care about children and young people and want to make a real difference to their lives. We need carers who:
- can listen and communicate with children and young people
- promote health, learning and fun
- have the energy and motivation to stay committed to a child
- want to receive professional training and learn new skills
- can work with other professionals, including our friendly childcare teams
Reasons to foster
There are lots of reasons why you should think about becoming a foster carer:
- there are children right here in Rutland who need care and support
- if we can’t find a foster carer in Rutland we may have to place a child in a different county, far away from school, friends and family you can have a huge impact on a child’s life by giving them the care they need, when they need it
- fostering is incredibly rewarding and a great career if you want to be a professional carer
- we provide professional training, financial support and an allocated Supervising Social Worker to help you develop as a foster carer
- you will become part of the professional team around the child and develop your expertise