Foster for Solihull, the council’s fostering service, needs foster carers of all ages, across Solihull communities.
So what is fostering? It’s offering a safe and nurturing home to children who, for various reasons, cannot live with their birth families.
It’s not just about providing shelter – it’s about offering stability, kindness, and hope during a time of uncertainty. Across Solihull, many children in care face difficult circumstances, and fostering gives them the chance to heal, grow, and feel valued.
Types of fostering
There are several different types of fostering, all of which support children, young people and their families. Depending on the needs of the child, children can live with foster families on a short-term or long-term basis. Types of foster care include long term, short term, emergency, respite, children seeking asylum, teenagers and sibling groups. A common pre-conception is that foster carers have to keep children long term, but certain types of fostering can vary from a few days to longer term, depending on the need.
Could you provide a safe, loving and supportive home for a Solihull child whose birth parents are unable to look after them? Currently in Solihull there is a high demand for:
Short term and emergency foster carers – sometimes children need to enter care for a short period, where carers need to support them temporarily, before they return home. At other times, more permanent options might need to be explored, this could include long term fostering.
Siblings foster carers – being in care can be a traumatic and particularly challenging time for children and young people. It’s therefore always the aim to keep sibling groups together whenever possible, to reduce anxiety and maintain a sense of familiarity and stability.
Family Links foster carers – have you got experience of working with or supporting a child with additional needs? Do you work and therefore think fostering wouldn’t be possible? The recently launched Family Links fostering scheme involves carers offering regular support and breaks for children aged 0 – 18 years.
It’s designed to give children with additional needs enriching experiences while offering their families a break from caregiving responsibilities. This type of fostering can work really well with people who work full time and want to offer a day or two a month to support a child in need.
What benefits can I expect?
- Competitive fees and allowances
- 24 hour support from experienced fostering social workers
- Ongoing training
- An engaged and supportive community of foster carers
Could I foster?
- You must have a spare bedroom in your home
- Be aged 21 or over
- Live within 20 miles of Solihull Council boundary or be able to support the transport requirements for a child in your care
- Have a basic level of English in order to communicate successfully with our teams and the professionals you will be working with
Different types of fostering suit different people and their circumstances.
Find out more or book an informal chat with the Foster for Solihull team
Alternatively, email: [email protected] or call 0121 788 4474.
