Foster and Kinship Care means caring for someone else’s child in your own home.  Foster and kinship carers provide a safe, secure and stable environment until the children and young people can return home.

A child living in foster and kinship care has experienced some kind of harm, which could be neglect and/or physical, emotional or sexual abuse and will also experience loss and grief from being separated from their family.

Carers provide the ongoing, day-to-day care for a child or young person, which can be both challenging and rewarding.  In addition, a carer needs to understand how to support the child or young person’s emotional needs.  Carers will not be just caring for a child, they also need to manage their own feelings and those of their family.