There are many reasons why people foster, but they all have one thing in common—a wish to make a positive difference to the lives of children and young people in care. Despite the number of children entering care continuing to rise in most areas of the UK, there are not enough people willing to foster. The aging population of existing foster carers, coupled with fewer people choosing to become carers, is having a devastating impact. ■ Providing a safe and stable home. Brenda Farrell, UK Head of Business Fostering and Adoption at Barnardos, said “With record numbers of children going into care ..read more

Anna Sharkey on becoming an adopter. People are motivated to adopt for many reasons such as infertility, wanting to grow their family by providing a home to a child in need, choosing to become a parent through adoption rather than through pregnancy, as a single person or as a couple in a same-sex relationship. The overarching motivation is wanting to parent. Adoption is a placement choice for children who cannot live in their birth family. Adopters are parenting children who may have experienced pre-birth exposure to drugs and alcohol, witnessed domestic violence, and experienced physical harm ..read more

According to Jenny MacQuire, children with disabilities often wait the longest for adoption. There are about two thousand children waiting for adoption in England, and half of them have to wait more than eighteen months from entering care to being adopted. Specific groups who face the longest delays in finding a home, including children over five, children with additional or complex needs, brother and sister groups, and those with black or mixed heritage. Ash shares her story: Graham and I are an interabled married couple from Durham. I have cerebral palsy and use a wheelchair. Quite rightly I ..read more

The most effective way to support a neurodivergent child is to understand what makes them different, says Dr Gemma North Neurodiversity is a term increasingly used to describe cognitive variations in the population such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and Tourette syndrome (Judy Singer 1999). The term neurodiversity enables us to talk about difference in a strength-based way thereby focusing on what makes neurodivergent people unique. The experience of a neurodivergent child or young person navigating the world is different to that of a neu ..read more

Emma Finch’s uplifting story about fostering. When Kim David Jones and his wife Caron welcomed Daniel into their lives, they couldn’t have foreseen the joy the ten year-old autistic boy would bring them, and that his younger brother, also autistic, would join their family too. The key to unlocking both boys was their love of football. After thirty years working as an engineer, Kim was ready for a change. He had long considered becoming a foster carer, so he and his wife applied online and embarked on a life-changing journey. Six months later, following an assessment and training from the Natio ..read more

Julie Johnson assesses the impact of schools’ spending on looked-after children John was adopted six months ago and each school day he struggles to leave his parents. He has a history of neglect, of being left unattended for long periods of time. As a baby he learnt that crying was of no use as adults did not come to help him and did not meet his needs. He was fostered at the age of three and moved to three further foster placements before being placed with his new family, now aged seven. He is settling well at home but separation at the school door each day is incredibly difficult. He likes h ..read more

Jane Poore and Hetty Verhagen provide tips for making school a better experience for adopted children. Most children who are adopted in the UK, were removed from their birth parents’ care through child protection procedures. Some were in foster care from when they were born, while others started life with their birth families and have vivid memories of this time. The reasons why children come into care are complex. Many have had early traumatic experiences due to abuse, neglect, domestic abuse or parental alcohol and substance abuse. Parental mental health, learning disabilities and poverty of ..read more

Karina Auer offers a glimpse into the world of parents fostering children with SEN Every day, over 65,000 children in the UK are living with almost 55,000 foster families and every 20 minutes another child comes into care. In the next 12 months, a further 8,600 foster carers are needed to ensure that every child in foster care can be matched with a family that meets their needs.  A wider pool of foster carers is required right across the UK, to guarantee that children can live with a family that do not only have the skills and experience to care for them but are also a good “match ..read more

David Eggboro discovers how fostering a child with SEN offers great rewards despite the challenges There are currently more than 65,000 children living with almost 55,000 foster families across the UK each day and there is a need for more than 8,000 new fostering families in the UK over the next 12 months.  Because a disproportionate number of children in care have a physical or learning disability, many foster carers look after a child with additional needs and there is a particular need for more foster carers who have the relevant skills to care for a child with complex needs. The exper ..read more

Being single and openly lesbian, Alison always knew she’d adopt a child. I had always worked in the special education sector and I wanted to use my experience to give a disabled child in care the chance to have a loving home and family. When I was in my twenties, I went through the process of adoption for the very first time. Instead of being nervous, I found the whole process so exciting and remember pacing the docks at Preston in anticipation. My dream was about to come true; one I feared may never happen. Timmy had cerebral palsy and severe learning disabilities. He’d al ..read more