- Foster Carer Enquiries: 0800 023 4561
- General Enquiries: 0800 085 2225
Why do children need foster care?
There are many factors that may lead to children being fostered. Children may come into care due to illness, relationship problems, family breakdown, or perhaps a situation where the child’s welfare is threatened.
Many children who require foster care have experienced some degree of neglect, and/or physical, emotional or sexual abuse. All of them will have experienced loss and separation from their birth family. Even if the child presents a happy and smiling front, their past experiences will almost certainly have an effect on their behaviour and development.
Some children express their emotions and feelings through difficult or challenging behaviour, such as tantrums or being withdrawn, aggressive, clingy, rejecting, or over-compliant. Other children may act older or younger than their years, or as a result of being placed with many different foster carers, may not know what is expected of them. They may also find it difficult to develop trusting relationships with adults.
Helping children to deal with their past
Through our Life Story Work, we provide a range of services that help looked after children and young people to understand and make sense of their past. Life Story Work encourages children to document their looked after time, enabling them to make connections in their later years.
Learn more about Life Story Work.
Did you know?
In the UK there are currently over 80,000 looked after children and young people in public care. Over 60% of looked after children and young people are living with foster carers. The others are in other forms of care, including residential accommodation.
