Fostering
Fostering with Darlington Borough Council
You can make a big difference to the future of children by becoming a Foster Carer or Supported Lodgings Carer in Darlington.
Darlington Borough Council support their Foster Carers through training, development and payments.
You can find more information on the council website as well as a step-by-step guide to becoming a Foster Carer.
We always try and keep families together
Sometimes, this may not be possible.
Foster care and supported lodgings give children and young people a safe place to live when they are not able to live with their own families.
The children and young people have different needs and are from diverse backgrounds.
They all have one thing in common; they deserve the best that we can provide for them.
If you are interested in becoming a Foster Carer in Darlington, please email: [email protected] or [email protected]
What is Foster Care?
Foster carers are people approved by the council's fostering service to care for looked after children up to the age of 18-years and beyond, in their own homes.
The length of time that children can stay with foster carers will vary from child to child.
Foster carers provide a stable, protective environment family environment to a child, meeting all of their needs and helping them to reach their potential.
There are many different types of foster care. As part of your fostering assessment, you will explore what type or type of fostering is best suited to your skills and experience and to your household.
Short Breaks
This involves having children to stay with you for a short time so that their families can have a regular break.
This could involve a few hours a week, a weekend, a month or in an emergency to provide help and support. Short break fostering is usually provided to disabled children, supporting parents in their caring role.
Long Term
Sometimes a child may need to live with a foster family for a longer period of time because they cannot be cared for within their own family.
Foster carers can help by offering a child the chance to grow up in a safe and supportive environment, receiving the appropriate care and whenever possible the opportunity to keep in touch with their family.
Short Term
This is when a foster family cares for a child due to difficulties or illnesses in the family, from an overnight stay, a few weeks or few months.
Offering a safe place for them to live, you will understand what is happening and be able to offer support, whilst everything is done to return the child home as soon as possible.
Respite Foster Care
This is where foster carers provide short placements to support other foster carers, for example if they need to have a holiday to “re-charge their batteries”.
Some foster carers prefer to offer a respite care if they are not available all of the time to provide full time placements.
Others provide a respite placement alongside other types of fostering.
Parent and Child Placement
This is where a parent or parents with a young child all reside together in a foster placement.
The foster carer supports the parent to develop the skills they need to care for their child.
The parent would move on when it is deemed they are ready to care for their child independently.
Supported Lodgings
Supported Lodgings Carers provide the next step to independence for young people aged 16 – 21 years who are leaving care.
"Every kid is one caring adult away from being a success story"
– Josh Shipp
