Why foster with Barnardo’s

Why you should choose us 

At Barnardo’s we are passionate about making a positive difference to the lives of the children and young people we support, as well as our foster carers. 

We listen and respond to the needs of our carers which is why we offer a comprehensive preparation, training and support fostering programme, including paid membership to the Fostering Network and access to support groups, foster carer forums and foster family social events.  

Here are just a few reasons why you should choose Barnardo’s as your fostering service:  

We have the experience and expertise 

We have over 100 years’ experience expertise of successfully matching and providing homes for children and young people with the right families, in particular providing fostering families for the children who wait the longest.  

We are on hand to deliver the support you need. Our 24/7 support helpline support is staffed by qualified and experienced Barnardo’s family placement social workers.  

What’s more, our families are supported by Barnardo’s workers trained in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP). DDP is a therapy, parenting approach and model for practice that uses what we know about attachment and developmental trauma to help children and families with their relationships. 

We offer generous financial support 

We know that foster carers work hard and devote their time, expertise and love to those children who have not had the best start in life. All our carers receive generous financial support, including a taxable income as well as a weekly allowance to help with the cost of looking after a child. 

Find out more about the financial support available to foster carers.

We provide free certified training and development 

At the start of their fostering journey all potential carers take part in Barnardo's preparation course to give you the skills you might need. It also provides an opportunity to meet other future and current foster carers who have been through the process and are happy to share their journeys.

Our foster carers are reviewed each year to ensure the children in their care are always receiving the support they need. You can benefit from extensive training, both face-to-face and online, helping you to gain new skills and enhance existing ones and we'll be with you every step of the way. 

Read more about our training and support for foster carers. 

We follow best practice when transitioning children from fostering to adoption

We use an evidence-based approach, following the University of East Anglia’s Moving to Adoption Process when transitioning children and young people from fostering to adoption.

The Moving to Adoption process aims to address concerns that when children move to an adoptive family, their feelings of loss and separation can be overlooked. This is especially so when moves happen over a short time period and/or contact with foster carers is abruptly cut off. To address this we try and place the child’s emotional needs at the centre of everything we do as part of this process, while also supporting the foster carers and the prospective adoptive parents.

We are local to you 

Although we’re a national agency, we have a local focus. We have over 20 fostering, adoption and short break services across the UK.  

Find your local fostering service. Our friendly team will be on hand to answer any questions you might have.