If you’re curious about what’s involved in fostering and adoption, we’d love to help you understand the possibilities without pressure.
For over 150 years, we’ve been helping children find loving homes and we’re still doing it today. We work closely with local authorities to find safe, caring homes for children who need them through fostering and adoption. Our dedicated teams guide families through every step of the process, offering expert advice, practical support, and ongoing training to help foster carers and adoptive parents feel confident and supported in their journey.
Every family is different, and there are many ways to open your heart, and your home, to a child. Fostering and adoption can be incredibly rewarding, offering children a safe, loving environment when they need it most. Deciding to do either is a big decision, but it can change so many lives, including yours, for the better.
What’s the difference between fostering and adoption?
Fostering provides a temporary home for a child whose birth family cannot care for them right now. It might be short-term or long-term, and foster carers play a vital role in helping children feel safe, supported and valued.
Adoption is a more permanent legal arrangement. When you adopt a child, you become their legal parent with all the rights and responsibilities that brings. You’re offering them not just a home but a lifelong family.
Find out more about the differences between fostering and adoption.
Is fostering or adoption right for me?
You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be patient, kind, and ready to listen. Foster carers and adoptive parents come from all walks of life - single, married, people of faith, part of the LGBT+ community, with or without children already.
If you have space in your home and room in your heart, it may be something worth exploring. It’s okay to take your time, ask questions, and decide what’s right for you and your family.
Adopt a child
If you’re looking for a forever family with full legal-responsibility and a long-term parenting role, then adoption might be for you.
Foster a child
Would you like to give a child stability and care during an uncertain time? Or to support children through transitions? If you could provide a loving home in the short or medium term you could be an amazing foster carer.
Hear from adopters and foster carers about their experiences
“There hasn’t been a single day I haven’t felt supported by Barnardo’s on my fostering journey.”
Sharon and her husband Andrew have been fostering with us for 10 years. Learn about why they became foster carers, how we’ve supported them, and Sharon's advice if you’re considering fostering.
How fostering to adopt gave baby Charlie a secure, loving home
Zoe and Cheryl had been talking about having children since they first met. After they got married, they decided they were ready. They were originally interested in traditional adoption but after hearing about fostering to adopt, they decided it was the route for them. They’re now proud Mums to Charlie, an energetic little boy.
“It felt like two families coming together”
Lindsey and her husband Phil didn’t set out to adopt two children at once, or to adopt an older child, but when they attended an activity day they met and fell for two little girls who would become their daughters.
“She said my home had been her happy place”
Jane L and Jane H are foster carers with a wealth of experience. They both specialise in providing short break foster care, which used to be known as respite care, for children with special educational needs (SEN). We asked them to share some of their experiences of providing this type of foster care.
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