Fostering a Better Future: Your guide to becoming a foster carer and how you can help

Across the region, there are hundreds of families that have opened their homes to provide stable and nurturing environments for children unable to be cared for by their parents.

There are multiple reasons why a young person can no longer live at home - whether it is family illness, a breakdown in relationships or welfare concerns. Foster carers play a vital role and look after children in the care system to ensure they are supported.

Last week, The News launched its ‘Fostering a Better Future’ campaign to support the recruitment of more carers in response to a national shortage of foster parents despite a spike in children in the care system.

As of March 2025, England had 33,435 foster homes, marking a 10 per cent drop since 2021. Despite the shortage of carers, the number of children in care has continued to rise substantially, from 64,460 in 2010 to 81,770 in 2025 - the highest recorded numbers since the 1980s.

During the first week of the campaign, The News heard from foster carers who shared their real-life experiences and encouraged more people to consider becoming foster parents.

We have created a guide to fostering to help those considering taking the next step, covering everything you need to know including what fostering involves, the different types of foster care and how you can get involved.

What is foster care ?

Foster care is a system managed by local authorities or agencies where trained adults house children and young people who are not able to live with their birth parents. Usually the arrangement is temporary and birth parents retain their legal responsibility for the child unless they are adopted.

Being in foster care means a child is placed in a family home rather than being in residential care which is a home for young people who are supervised round the clock.

What do foster carers do?

The practicalities of being a foster carer mirror the day-to-day life of all families, with the expectation that children will be clothed, fed, at school on time and completing homework while also attending routine appointments at the doctors and dentist. Support is one of the major elements of being a carer - from helping with homework to encouraging hobbies and offering comfort when its needed while providing guidance and clear boundaries.

Foster carers also work as part of a professional team and are also responsible for providing reports about the children in their care, attending meetings and advocating for the child, and promoting contact with birth families.

It is also essential that training and support groups are regularly attended.

What types of foster care is there?

1. Short- term foster care:

Also known as interim foster care, this arrangement is where a carer provides a safe and stable home for a child from two days to two years. It gives a child immediate shelter while the situation is assessed.

2. Long-term foster care:

Children who are unable to live with their birth parents may end up living with their foster family on a permanent basis until they reach adulthood. Unlike adoption, the legal responsibility of the child remains with the local authority or birth parents where possible. Often, foster carers will help the child maintain safe and secure contact with their birth parents.

3. Parent and child:

This is a temporary arrangement where a young or vulnerable parent lives with a trained foster family to help them learn essential care and life skills so the birth parents can stay with their child in a safe and nurturing environment.

4. Children seeking safety and asylum:

This type of care involves providing a safe, secure and supportive home for someone under 18 who has arrived in the country alone after fleeing war, violence or persecution. Foster parents would be responsible for helping them settle into their new enviroment, help them learn English while respecting their religious and cultural beliefs.

5. Supported Lodgings:

This is where young people aged between 16 and 21 live in a spare room with an approved host who will assist them on the first steps to living independently. Hosts are expected to guide these young people rather than parent while teaching them life skills such as cooking, cleaning and budgeting.

6. Family Link:

Foster carers provide planned overnight stays, weekend care or daytime activities for children and young people with disabilities, autism or complex medical needs. This support gives full-time parents and carers valuable time to rest, while helping children and young people build confidence, develop independence and enjoy new experiences in different environments.

7. Respite Care:

Respite provides short-term care for both children in full-time foster care and those living with their birth parents. This is for families with a child who has complex needs or a medical condition and gives foster and birth parents downtime.

Why is there a shortage?

The declining number of foster carers can be attributed to more carers leaving the profession than joining. In many cases, this is because foster carers are retiring, while the shortage of new carers can be linked to a number of factors, including a lack of space, the cost-of-living crisis and misconceptions about the care system.

What support is on offer?

The Portsmouth City Council’s dedicated fostering service - Foster Portsmouth - supports foster carers 24 hours a day all year to ensure from the moment you start your fostering journey.

A support social worker and an experienced foster carer, known as a “buddy”, will provide advice and encouragement throughout. There is also extensive training, respite packages and specialist advice.

What does the application process involve?

The application process to become a foster carer involves an initial enquiry, home visits, background checks, assessments and training. The process can take up to eight months before being approved by a panel.

How can I help?

To be an eligible foster carer you must:

• Be at least 21 years old
• Have a legal right to work or live in the UK
• Possess a spare bedroom
• Pass a background check
• Live in the UK

For more information about fostering in Portsmouth, call 0300 131 2797 or email [email protected].

For more information about Foster Portsmouth, click here.

To get involved in fostering in Hampshire, call 0300 131 2797 or email [email protected].