Benefits of Providing Foster Children with a Safe Home this Summer

For many children, the last school bell before the summer holidays is an exciting thing, as they eagerly anticipate six weeks of freedom, sunny weather, and time spent with their loving family.  

But for vulnerable children who live in unstable homes, school holidays can feel very different. Without the support and routine schools provide, including meals and a safe, caring environment, these children are more at risk of abuse, neglect, and isolation.   

If a child moves into care during this time, foster carers have a wonderful opportunity to change the way they experience breaks from school. Join us as we explore the benefits of fostering a child and providing them a safe, supportive, and nurturing home this summer. 

foster care keep children safe

Why summer puts vulnerable children at risk 

Schools safeguard children. From monitoring their attendance to recording concerns, schools play a vital role in keeping vulnerable children safe from harm.  

When this safety net pauses for summer, it can have a significant impact on these children, putting them at risk, and here are some reasons why: 

  • Schools provide routine and structure, helping children feel safe. Whether it be one-to-one support or at least two meals a day, when school ends for summer, some children may not have their most basic needs met.  
  • Schools help children build connections. A child or young person may have formed a good relationship with a trusted teacher or have a strong friendship group they can rely on. When school is out for the summer, this support may become infrequent or stop altogether, leaving them isolated.  
  • Childcare costs can make it difficult for low-income families to find suitable arrangements for their children while they’re at work during the holidays. This means a child may be left to fend for themselves for hours every day, putting them at risk of getting hurt.  
  • When children and young people are at school, there is less time for them to get involved in risky behaviours, such as drinking alcohol or taking drugs. Without the distraction of school, teenagers who are struggling at home may turn to risky behaviours for fun or to numb their feelings.  
  • If a child is living in a volatile home, the summer holidays mean they have no escape, putting them at higher risk of abuse.  
  • Like schools, community support often breaks up for summer or runs less frequently, leaving children with even less support throughout the summer.  
  • A lack of support and routine, coupled with feeling isolated, can negatively impact the mental health of vulnerable children and young people. 

How does foster care keep children safe? 

Foster care provides children with a safe haven during the summer holidays and beyond. 

The main reason children and young people move into care is because they have endured abuse or neglect. Foster carers keep these children safe, meeting their needs and nurturing their whole well-being so they can move out of survival mode, begin healing from their experiences, and have the childhood they deserve.  

At FCA Scotland, our Team Parenting model means children and young people receive an even higher level of support. Our network of fostering professionals, including therapists, education leads, and social workers, all work closely with foster carers to support their individual needs. We also go out of our way to make sure children in our care never feel isolated by listening to them and encouraging them to form connections with children who truly understand where they’re coming from.  

We aim to provide every vulnerable child and young person with a foundation that so many of us take for granted – a safe, loving, and nurturing home. 

Benefits of helping children this summer 

Becoming a foster carer will change both your life and a child’s as you begin this new chapter and grow together. Below are just some of the benefits of providing a safe home for children this summer.  

 

foster parent and foster child

Help children feel safe 

Although providing a child with a foster home keeps them physically safe from harm, it takes patience, understanding, and consistency to help children feel truly secure.  

Many children and young people who move into care are haunted by their past experiences, making it difficult for them to trust others and build connections. By fostering a child, you have a chance to show them that loving, trusting relationships really do exist, and we’ll help you do it.  

When you join FCA Scotland, you’ll join our foster carer training programme, which will give you the knowledge and skills to understand what makes children feel safe in foster care. We offer both face-to-face and online training courses on topics such as Attachment and Child Development, Managing Difficult Behaviour and Complex Trauma, equipping you with the tools to care for children who’ve had a difficult start to life.  

We’ll work with you to create a Personal Development Plan, helping you grow with each child in your care and prepare for every stage of your fostering journey. 

Make summer a positive experience 

By fostering a child this summer, you can help them see school holidays in a new light by creating happy memories together. Whether it be taking them to the beach and helping them build their first sandcastle or teaching them how to swim, the summer brings with it so many opportunities for your whole family to have fun.  

At FCA Scotland, we also organise days out and fun activities for children in foster care, asking them to choose where they’d like to go. These trips help foster children connect with others, make friends, and relax in the company of safe and trusted adults. 

Prevent risky behaviours 

When young people feel isolated and lonely or are suffering from the trauma of their past experiences, they may turn to risky behaviours to numb their feelings, especially if they have nothing to distract them or if they aren’t working towards their healing.  

When you foster a child during the summer, you can use the time they aren’t at school to help them begin their recovery journey. Although a school’s support may pause or lessen during the holidays, our support never stops – we’re here for our foster families 24/7.  

If the child in your care needs a little extra support, our therapists can help young people understand their experiences and heal from them rather than depend on risky behaviours to mask their pain. 

Support their emotional and mental health 

Children in care are dealing with some heavy things, which can have a huge impact on their mental and emotional health. Children rely on their caregivers to teach them how to regulate their emotions, so if they’ve lived in a home where their emotional needs were often overlooked, they may struggle to manage and express their thoughts and feelings.  

As a result, they need foster carers who know how to look beyond their behaviour to see what’s really going on and to help them find new ways of coping with their emotions. Self-regulation is a life skill that will not only benefit their relationships and schoolwork now but will also help them become more resilient to challenges throughout life.  

Prepare them for the new school year 

Fostering a child during the summer can help them feel more settled before the new term begins. If they move schools, it also gives them time to get to know the local community and look around the school before they start.  

Although beginning a new year in a completely different school may fill them with anxiety and dread, you’ll be by their side, listening to their worries and guiding them through the process. They’ll also have help from our team, including our education coordinator, who will ensure a child has the right support and attends a school that understands their needs.  

We believe that education plays a vital role in improving the outcomes for children in care, and together, we can help them thrive in the school environment. 

Start a new career that truly makes a difference 

As a foster carer, you’ll embark on an exciting new career journey where you’ll have opportunities to grow personally and professionally as you gain more experience. You’ll also receive a generous fostering allowance that’s typically tax-free and additional perks to help enrich your fostering journey, including: 

  • A £250 bonus in the summer and winter each year. 
  • Up to 14 nights of paid respite care. 
  • Gifts and experiences for every fostering milestone you reach.
  • Recognition events and rewards that highlight your role as a foster carer.
  • An annual appreciation bonus that rises every year you foster with us.

Supporting you this summer and beyond  

One of the things that sets us apart from other fostering agencies in Scotland is the support we offer our foster families.  

From the moment you enquire, we’ll be by your side, helping you understand the fostering process, pay, and training. When you first begin your fostering journey, you’ll also have additional support from a Carer Buddy. Our Carer Buddies are experienced foster carers who will mentor you through the assessment process and help you find your feet when you welcome your first child.  

We also provide an extensive range of support for children in foster care, including our forum for young people. Our young people’s forums are safe spaces for foster children to share their thoughts and feelings about the support they receive and how it could be improved. We also ask young people in our care to participate in carer training and prepare questions for us to ask foster carers at the fostering panel.  

At FCA Scotland, we work together, listen to our children, and continuously improve our services because this is the only way we can truly make a difference. 

Enquire today! 

If you’re ready to begin your next career move or want to transfer to a fostering agency that puts children and their foster families first, we’d love to hear from you.  

Call us today on 0141 646 4805 or submit our online enquiry form, and our friendly team will be in touch! 

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Moving House While Fostering

Moving house is one of the most stressful things you can do, and we understand that foster carers won’t take the decision lightly. However, when you foster a child, their well-being and happiness should always be at the centre of such a huge decision.  

In this article, we explore fostering and moving house in more detail, including the impact it could have on your foster child’s relationships, education, and sense of stability.  

foster child feel about the move

Can you move house with a foster child? 

Yes, you can move house when you’re fostering a child, but whether it’s feasible or not depends on how it could affect the child in your care. 

Your child’s social worker, along with every person involved in their care, will work together to assess the impact moving will have on them, considering details such as:  

Is it the right time? 

If you do decide to move house, it will cause some disruption to every family member. However, there are some ‘better’ times to move and others that may make the upheaval even more difficult for a child in care. 

Children in care need stability and routine, so if you plan on moving within the first 12 months of fostering a child, you may need to wait until after the move before welcoming a child into your home.  

Other life events will be considered too. For example, if your foster child is sitting exams, moving during this pivotal time could impact their grades and affect their future outcomes.  

The type of fostering also plays a part in whether it’s the right time to move house or not. If you foster a child on a short-term basis, their social worker may prefer you to wait until the child has left your care before moving house. If you foster a child long-term, and they’ve been thriving in your care for a number of years, the move may have less of an impact than it would on a child who has been living with you for less time.  

Will your child need to change schools? 

If you plan to move outside your current area, your foster child may need to change schools. It’s important to remember that children in care often have to switch schools when they move into care, leaving behind friendships, support, and teachers they may have liked. So, going through the process again requires special consideration.  

That’s why, before you move, questions about your child’s education may be raised, including: 

  • How will the child in your care be supported through the transition? 
  • If they have specialist needs, will the new school be able to accommodate them?  
  • How will changing schools impact their academic progress? 
  • How will it impact their friendships? 
  • How do they feel about moving schools? 

Will your child be able to maintain relationships? 

When moving house, another thing to consider is the impact it could have on your foster child’s relationships and family time arrangements. If you plan to stay in the same area, it’s unlikely that their relationships will be affected. However, if you want to move further away, contact with their friends, siblings, parents, and extended family could become trickier to navigate.  

For example, it could mean liaising with more than one local authority to organise family time. Travel times could also make current arrangements unsustainable. If the frequency of family time meetings needs reviewing, the well-being of your foster child will always be at the centre of decisions. 

Moving House While Fostering

Is your new home suitable for your foster child? 

During the fostering assessment, we assess your home to ensure it’s safe and suitable for the child in your care. When you move, we’ll need to review your new home in the same way.  

This includes completing a risk assessment and ensuring you have a spare bedroom. We also need to make sure the living areas within the home are big enough for every family member to live comfortably.  

If you want to move to a property that needs considerable improvement, it may not be suitable for your foster child. Renovations can cause a huge amount of disruption, putting children at risk and preventing them from feeling safe and settled at home. 

How does your foster child feel about the move? 

If you’re thinking about moving, your foster child’s social worker will want to know how they feel about it to ensure they receive the support they need. Children in care have often experienced a lot of upheaval in their lives, with decisions about where they live and who they live with made for them without their input.  

That’s why it’s important to talk to your child about the possibility of moving house, giving them the time and space to process their feelings. They may feel excited about living in a new home, but they could also feel anxious or upset about the change.  

Including them in such a big decision could also help put them at ease and reassure them that they are part of your family and that their thoughts and feelings matter.  

At FCA Scotland, we offer individualised support for children in foster care, ensuring they always feel heard and included in decisions that affect their lives. 

 

Is moving the right decision for you? 

Moving house can be chaotic. If you’re selling your home and buying another, you’ll have to deal with the disruption of house viewings, liaising with solicitors, and living out of boxes as the move date draws near. If you’re renting, you may have to allow others to view your home while finding a new, suitable place to live. 

It can take up a lot of your time and energy, which may be tricky to manage on top of your fostering responsibilities and other commitments. So, it’s important to make sure that moving house is right for you as well as for the child in your care – otherwise, you could be at risk of burnout. 

We’re here to provide the support you need 

At FCA Scotland, we know life can take our foster carers in many directions. Maybe you want to move for a change of scenery, access to better schools, or to upsize so you can foster more children. Whatever the reason, we’ll support both you and your foster child when you’re making the decision and through the transition with our Team Parenting model.  

You’ll receive therapeutic training and have access to joint therapy sessions and consultations, helping you better support your foster child through change. We also host events, activities, support groups, and meet-ups where you can connect with other foster carers who have moved while fostering. They may be able to offer advice about managing the transition based on their own experiences. 

Next steps  

If you’re thinking about moving house while you have a child in your care, the first step is to talk to your supervising social worker. They’ll guide you through the process and offer advice on what happens next.  

If you’re considering fostering but hope to move soon, you can still start the fostering process. However, you may need to wait until you’ve moved to welcome a child into your home. 

For more information about moving while fostering or for details about becoming a foster carer, including fostering allowances, support, and training you’ll receive, please get in touch. Together, we can #KeepThePromise and improve the lives of children and young across Scotland and beyond. 

Can you move house with a foster child?

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Helping Foster Children Explore New Foods

Food is a personal thing. Some foods can offer comfort in uncertainty and help us feel good on a bad day, while others provide mental clarity and give us energy to focus and exercise.  

Food can be an emotive topic, and if you’re worried about whether the child in your care is getting all the nutrients they need, we’re here to help. In this article, we explore the reasons why foster children may have challenges with food and provide tips on how you can help the child in your care discover new flavours so they can benefit from a well-balanced diet. 

trying new foods

Why won’t my foster children try any food? 

As a foster carer, you may spend a lot of time planning and preparing meals to ensure the child in your care receives a well-balanced diet. However, no matter how hard you try, encouraging them to eat the food you’ve so lovingly prepared can be easier said than done.  

Every child can go through periods of food fussiness. However, for children in care, there may be a lot more going on beneath the surface that makes trying new food more complex.  

So, before we look at ways you can help the child in your care explore new foods, we need to recognise the reasons why they may find their relationship with food challenging. 

 

Early experiences of food 

Imagine you’re a child in care who has experienced neglect. You may have spent many years of your early life wondering when you would have your next meal or surviving on a poorly balanced diet.  

If food was scarce, you might have had no choice but to find ways to meet your own basic nutritional needs – for example, by eating as much as possible when food was available or taking a little extra and saving it for the next day.  

You may even have become so accustomed to a lack of food that now you don’t have much of an appetite at all or struggle to try new foods because the choice, new flavours and unfamiliar textures are overwhelming. 

Children who’ve had these sorts of experiences may: 

  • Take extra food and hide it in their bedroom so they know they’ll always have something to eat. 
  • Overeat or eat to the point of feeling sick because they are worried about feeling hungry again. 
  • Seem preoccupied with food – constantly looking in the fridge or cupboard, or asking when they’ll next have something to eat.
  • Not recognise when they are hungry or full.
  • Only want to eat one type of food.
  • Eat faster than everyone else – they may use their hands instead of cutlery to eat more quickly.
  • Eat off other people’s plates or take food out of their classmates’ lunchboxes
  • Compulsively eat even when they aren’t hungry
  • Eat uncooked food like dried pasta.
  • Be reluctant to share food with others. 
  • Struggle to try new food textures, smells, and flavours. 

Emotional challenges of food 

The way we feel can often impact our appetite. You probably have a go-to food that brings you comfort when you’re feeling sad, and if you’re anxious, eating might be the last thing on your mind.  

When a child moves into care, they have to leave everything behind – the only home they’ve known, their family, belongings and community. The impact of this upheaval, along with their experiences at home, can profoundly impact their emotions. They may feel a sense of loss and grief, as well as fear and anxiety about the future – all of which can affect their appetite.  

They might lose interest in food entirely or become attached to a particular type of food that reminds them of home. Some children may also see eating as something that’s within their control. They had no say in the experiences that led them into care or the move itself, but they can decide what goes into their body.  

foster child cooking

Sensory challenges 

Children who are hypervigilant or neurodiverse can be sensitive to sensory input such as smells, textures, sounds, and the way food looks on their plate. This can make it more difficult for them to tolerate new flavours, smells, and textures of foods.  

They may like two types of foods, but when they’re mixed or served on the same plate, they may refuse to eat them. For example, they may like toast and beans, but when served together, the combination of wet and dry foods could be overwhelming or unappetising for them.  

They may also have a phobia of trying new foods or struggle to identify when they’re hungry, making it difficult for them to receive the nutrients they need.  

Tips for helping children try new foods 

If every mealtime feels like a battle, it’s important to identify the root cause of your child’s behaviour so you can adapt meals to suit your child’s needs.  

One way you can do this is by using the ABC model. The ABC model can help you identify patterns in your child’s behaviour, helping you look beyond the surface and understand what’s really going on. You can then make adjustments to make mealtimes a more positive experience for the child in your care. 

Below are some adjustments you can make to encourage children to try new food and build healthier eating habits.  

Tips for helping children try new foods

Discuss their food preferences 

When your foster child moves in, find out what they like to eat at home and stick to those familiar foods while they settle in. You could also ask them if they prefer their meals to be prepared in a particular way – for example, keeping different types of food on separate plates.  

Make sure you know whether the child in your care has any allergies or intolerances or if they follow a particular diet due to personal or religious reasons.  

Wherever possible, serve the same meal to everyone so your foster child feels part of the family. In those first few days, focus on building trust and getting to know each other rather than encouraging healthy eating habits. 

Gradually introduce new foods 

Giving a child a meal with ingredients they’ve never tried before can be incredibly overwhelming. Instead, you could gradually introduce new foods by providing a smaller taster place alongside their main meal.  

Let them explore the foods at their own pace. Even if they don’t eat the new foods at first, this gives them a chance to see, feel, and smell the food. It can take 10 to 15 tries before a child begins to like a particular food, so if they try it and don’t like it, continue offering it on a smaller plate. 

Simplify meals  

You don’t have to cook complicated meals to ensure your foster child receives the right balance of each food group – you can simply assemble a meal instead. This means putting each food group on the plate (or separate plates if they prefer), rather than mixing them together to create a typical meal.  

You could also lay out a variety of options on the table and let the family pick and choose the types of food they’d like to try. This can be a great approach for children who dislike foods being mixed together, served with sauces, or who are sensitive to textures and added flavours like herbs and spices. It’s also a brilliant time-saver and can help reduce food waste.  

Get them involved  

You can help build an interest in trying new foods by encouraging the child in your care to get involved in planning and preparing meals. Every week or month, you could ask them to choose a new recipe for the family to try before writing a shopping list together. You could then challenge them to find the various ingredients around the supermarket before cooking the meal as a team. When they sit down to eat the meal, they’ll feel a sense of accomplishment for eating something they helped cook.  

If you foster a younger child, another great way to keep them engaged in trying new foods is by creating a food chart – a poster of different food types they can tick off as they try them. If you foster an older child, you could help them make a recipe book of all the meals they’ve tried and tested, which will come in handy when they leave care. 

Routine and repetition  

Children thrive on routine and stability, so whether it’s a weekend or a weekday, try to stick to a consistent mealtime schedule. If your child seems to struggle at the dinner table in the evening but seems happy enough during breakfast and lunch, they may simply be tired. A slight adjustment to mealtimes might be all they need to have the energy to engage in new flavours, textures, and smells.  

You could also start by introducing new foods at lunchtime during weekends, when things are typically more relaxed, before offering new foods in the evening after school.  

If they have a small appetite, make sure they’re getting enough exercise during the day and aren’t snacking too much between meals, so they feel hungry when it’s time to eat.  

Create food security 

If the child in your care hoards food or seems preoccupied with when their next meal will be served, try to create a sense of food security.  

If they tend to overeat when food is available, offer smaller portions and reassure them that more food is available if they’re still hungry. You could also involve them in creating a basket of healthy snacks they can dip into whenever they want.  

This way, they’ll know they can access food whenever they’re hungry, so they don’t need to save food for later or eat as much as possible during mealtimes. 

Get support 

If you’re concerned about your foster child’s relationship with food, reach out for support. At FCA Scotland, we’re proud of our support for children in foster care, ensuring that we listen to their views and always put them at the centre of their care.  

Our Team Parenting model means you have access to professionals such as therapists, social workers, and education leads who can help you nurture every aspect of your foster child’s well-being. 

You may also find it useful to talk to other foster carers in your local area. Our foster carers have a wealth of experience and may be able to recommend some strategies that have worked for them. 

 

Whether you’re new to fostering or looking to transfer and want to learn more about the positive impact you could have on children in care across Scotland, please get in touch. 

Preparing for Christmas with Teenage Foster Children

When you think of Christmas, images of mince pies, mistletoe and festive feasts may spring to mind, but for the teenager in your care, it may feel significantly different – they could be dreading the festive season. But we’re here to help you prepare for Christmas with your teenager so they can look forward to celebrating and making new happy memories with you and your family.  

The challenges of Christmas for fostered teenagers 

Whether you’ve been fostering a child who’s now a teenager or have just welcomed a teenager into your home, Christmas can provoke strong emotions. It can emphasise feelings of being different from their peers, and experiencing Christmas without their family could intensify a sense of loss and grief. It could also bring difficult memories to the surface if past Christmases with their birth family have been challenging.  

While you can’t prevent your teenager from experiencing distressing emotions about Christmas, you can put them at ease and support them by making plans that consider their individual needs and nurture their well-being. Here are our tips to help you prepare so your teenager feels safe, loved and understood during the Christmas period, into the New Year and beyond. 

Christmas with Teenage Foster Children

Have an open conversation 

One of the best ways to prepare for a Christmas that supports your teenager’s well-being is to talk openly with them about Christmas as early as possible. If you watch TV together and a Christmas advert is shown, this could be a good conversation starter. You could ask them how they feel about Christmas or their favourite thing about the festive period.  

They may not want to engage in conversation, but by approaching the topic, you provide them with a safe space to express their feelings when they are ready. If they are anxious about upcoming celebrations, reassure them and remind them that they can always come to you if things get too much.  

Remain curious and be mindful that their behaviour may tell you everything you need to know about their feelings. If you need extra support, you can always discuss your concerns with your supervising social worker or get advice from other foster carers.  

 

Let them make some decisions 

Whether they tell you or not, teenagers often want more input in decisions that impact them, especially if they are close to adulthood. So, include your teenager in the preparations for Christmas. If this is the first Christmas with your teenager, ask them to share any traditions they’d like to include. If you’ve been fostering your teenager for a while, see if they’d like to swap any of your usual traditions for new ones.  

You could decide what will be on the menu together. They may have seen some recipes online they’d like to try or could prefer something straightforward if they aren’t used to a lavish festive feast. You could also encourage them to feel part of your family by asking them to help you select gifts for each family member.  

Including your teenager in Christmas preparations could help them feel effective and like they belong. It will additionally teach them how to make decisions for themselves, which will be incredibly useful when they leave care. 

Organise teen-friendly activities 

The magic of Christmas isn’t reserved for small children; it can still be found in the eyes of teenagers who’ve never had the opportunity to experience festive fun. So, organise some teen-friendly Christmas activities, and if you have young children, be conscious that your teenager may not want to tag along to Santa’s grotto.  

If your teenager is comfortable with crowds, you could attend a local Christmas market or ice skate at a temporary outdoor rink. Although it’s nice to spend time as a family, your teenager may like to take a friend, so make arrangements far enough in advance to facilitate this.  

Always run ideas for activities by your teenager before making concrete plans, and check in with them regularly to ensure they still want to participate. They may prefer a quiet Christmas at home where they feel safe and comfortable, so a Christmas movie marathon, crafts or baking could be a great alternative. 

Teenage Foster Children Xmas

Buy thoughtful gifts 

If your teenager has come from a home of abuse or neglect, you may be tempted to shower them with gifts to make them happy on Christmas day. However, it could be incredibly overwhelming if they’ve not experienced it before, and they may feel uncomfortable receiving so much attention. Instead, focus on buying a few thoughtful gifts that show your teenager that you understand their personality and interests.  

If you’ve only recently begun fostering a teenager, you could ask them to write a list of ideas or talk to other foster carers for inspiration. But, to get you started, here are our ideas for Christmas presents for a teenager in foster care:  

  • Personalised gifts – If you haven’t had time to figure out exactly what your teenager would like, personalised items could be the ideal option. Writing their name on a mug, water bottle, or necklace shows that you’ve put effort into buying something just for them. 
  • Gift cards – If you’re really struggling with ideas, gift cards could be a good choice. They are more personal than cash and, in the New Year, you could take them on a shopping trip to buy exactly what they want. 
  • Bedroom accessories – If your teenager has recently moved in, you could buy them some accessories for their bedroom, like fluffy blankets, LED lights and personalised bedding.  
  • Self-care items – They may feel anxious, so support their well-being by buying them self-care items that help them feel rested and relaxed, such as an eye mask, bath bombs, bubble bath, a journal or a book of daily affirmations.  

Discuss boundaries  

When the Christmas holidays arrive, your teenager may want to stay up later, sleep in, and take a break from their usual routine. Relaxing their routine slightly can be beneficial, but it’s essential to maintain regular mealtimes and ensure they go to bed at a reasonable hour. This consistency will help them feel safe and stable during the festive season, even if they don’t consciously realise it. 

It’s also a good idea to discuss holiday boundaries with your teenager ahead of time. For instance, establish a limit on how long they can spend on social media and remind them that these limits are set for their own well-being. Don’t forget to take their perspective into account as well. If they’ve previously lived in an environment where alcohol was misused, you may need to exclude alcohol from Christmas celebrations to ensure they feel safe. 

Plans may change 

When fostering teenagers at Christmas, their well-being is the top priority, so you may need to prepare for any last-minute changes to your plans. Reassure your teenager that if they don’t feel up to doing something, that’s perfectly okay, and have some backup ideas ready just in case.  

If your teenager struggles to cope during the festive season, reach out—our support for foster carers is available 24/7. If you’re new to your role, talk to one of our carer buddies or other foster carers in your area; their wealth of experience and knowledge could help steer you in the right direction. 

Remember: Even if your Christmas doesn’t go to plan, your teenager will spend the festive season in a home where they’re safe, loved and appreciated, something they may never have experienced before. 

If you’re thinking about fostering, get in touch. Our team will provide advice and guidance on how to foster a child and the process involved. They’ll also help you prepare to foster and can answer any questions you may have about starting your journey. With you on board, we can provide more children in care with a loving home where they can make positive Christmas memories and have the childhood they truly deserve. 

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