What We Look For - Skills & Qualities

Many fostered children have been through traumatic experiences. They may have challenging behaviour or feel lonely and afraid.

A foster carer provides day-to-day care and much more for a child who needs looking after. Your role is to nurture and support them, help them to develop and grow and to act on their behalf when dealing with others.

Therefore, these are the key skills or qualities that we look for in our foster carers. They may come naturally to you already, or you may need our training and support to make the most of your potential to be an excellent foster carer.

To meet the essential criteria, you must be able to:

• Provide a good standard of care for other people's children, promoting their healthy growth, development and achievement
• Work closely with other professionals
• Work (where necessary) with the child's family and those important to the child
• Set appropriate boundaries and manage a child's behaviour without resorting to physical or inappropriate punishment
• Understand child development (we can help you with this)
• Listen to and communicate with children in a manner appropriate to their age and understanding
• Ensure that children are cared for in a home safe from harm and abuse
• Communicate with a variety of people and promote equality
• Actively encourage children to learn
• Help them to feel positive about their origins, religion and culture