What are the benefits of fostering?
As the New Year unfolds, it’s the perfect time to try new things and implement big changes. If you’ve ever thought of helping children in need, there’s no better time to start than now by becoming a foster parent.
Who can become a foster parent?
With over 80,000 children currently in the UK care system, we need foster parents now more than ever. Children enter foster care for a variety of reasons, including the death of a caregiver, a parent going to prison or undergoing court proceedings, or abuse or neglect in the family home.
You don’t need any qualifications to become a foster parent. Fostering is open to everyone— no matter your race, faith, gender, relationship status, age or sexuality. We’re proud to welcome people from all backgrounds as foster parents, and you could be a great candidate to foster if:
- You’re aged 21+
- You have a suitable spare bedroom
- You have the right to work in the UK
- You’re passionate about helping to change the lives of children
Ready to learn more? Let’s look at just 7 of the amazing benefits of becoming a foster parent in 2025.
7 Reasons why fostering could be the right choice for you
As a foster parent, you’ll be changing children’s lives
The biggest reason for anyone to foster is perhaps the most obvious, and undoubtedly the most rewarding— by fostering a child who does not have the privilege of a safe home and a stable family life, you are in the privileged position of being able to help a young person to heal, grow, and go on to lead a fulfilling and full life as an adult.
Build lifelong bonds
The bonds you make with the children you care for have the potential to last a lifetime, and so many of our foster parents still see the children who they’ve watched grow up as their family, long after they have moved out and started their adult lives.
Through our regular events including foster parent support groups and coffee mornings, you’ll also have the opportunity to befriend other local foster parents and build a community of support which you can rely on, and friendships which can last a lifetime.
Develop professional skills
Many children in foster care have faced traumatic experiences, and they need special care and support in order to thrive. As a foster parent with Fosterplus, you’ll have the opportunity to develop your professional skills as you’ll receive free expert training on how to parent therapeutically, and will learn all about attachment, trauma and positive behavioural management so that you can be the best parent possible to the children in your care.
Become a pillar of your community
Fostering provides you with the chance to make a real tangible difference to the lives of people in your community. Not only does fostering help individual children, it also increases their future prospects and helps to mend relationships between families through family time sessions where children are able to meet up with their parents or siblings.
Contrary to what some people assume, the ultimate goal of fostering in most cases is to be able to reunite children with their biological families in a safe way, and you can be a key figurehead in that process.
Diversify your experiences
The many different types of fostering, including parent and child fostering, where you welcome a parent into your home temporarily along with their infant or toddler to help them develop their parenting skills, mean that there are so many ways to help, and so many different fostering options to suit your unique skills and lifestyle.
Work from home in a way which suits your lifestyle
If you choose to foster full-time, your fostering allowance will support you to be able to stay at home in order to dedicate all of your time to the children in your care. Fostering is also perfectly viable for those who choose to work while fostering, providing that you are able to have a flexible schedule which suits the needs of the children you care for.
Financial rewards and benefits
Whether you choose to make fostering your career or foster alongside your current job role, you can rest assured that you’ll be financially supported. Foster parents in the UK are entitled to financial rewards for their work in helping children, known as a fostering allowance. Here at Fosterplus we offer a generous fostering allowance as well as a range of other benefits to our foster parents.
Learn how much you could be entitled to by trying out our fostering allowance calculator.
Start your fostering journey today!
Learn more about how to get started on your fostering journey, or reach out to our team to enquire with us today.
