Interested in fostering? Submit your contact details using the button below and a member of the team will be in touch.
Part-time fostering is a flexible way to support children and families. It is an attractive option for:
- people who work full-time, part-time or term-time
- people who have time in the evenings, or weekends
- people who need regularity
- families already doing activities with their own children who would like to give additional or wider life experiences to other children
- families with children with additional needs who want to help their child socialise and connect with other children
- people dipping their toes into fostering - many foster carers start by offering part-time support before offering longer-term support
Also known as respite or short-break care, part-time foster carers are part of an ‘extended model of care’. This means you act as ‘bonus aunts’ and ‘uncles’ to other foster families or families of children with additional support needs, including disabilities, to offer regular and pre-arranged:
- trips out
- days out
- overnight sleepovers
- weekend stay overs
- short breaks
Support might look like judo every Friday for a couple of hours or a day out one Saturday a month or an overnight sleepover or stay over once or twice a month.
This gives families time and space to rebalance and reconnect with each other or other birth children.
You also give children who can be socially isolated, the chance to socialise with others to help develop social skills, self-esteem and independence.
As an extended member of a family, you learn what you need from the families you are matched with.
You'll be assessed as a foster carer and get the same comprehensive support they receive, including:
- specialist training
- financial allowances (tax-free)
- dedicated supervising social worker
Eligibility
To be eligible to foster, you must be:
- over 21 years of age
- have a spare room
- have some experience of childcare or working with young people, for example, volunteering or babysitting
- generally fit and healthy
- have time to provide consistent support
- live in or within 20 miles of Bracknell, Crowthorne, Sandhurst, Binfield, Winkfield or Warfield