What is Foster Care?

Every week, Anglicare receives more than 100 requests to find a safe home for a child in crisis.

Foster care provides a safe and nurturing home for children and young people who cannot live with their birth families. Foster carers step in to offer stability, love, and a sense of belonging, sometimes for just a few nights, other times for months or even years.

That's where you come in.

As an Anglicare foster carer, you can be the safe place a child turns to when their world feels uncertain.

Whether you're single or have a partner, renting or own your home, if you're over 21 and in good health, you may be just the person to make a difference.

Why children enter Foster Care

Children enter foster care only when it's no longer safe for them to live at home. Foster care becomes necessary when their safety is at risk due to family breakdown, illness, domestic violence, or neglect.

Carers provide a safe haven during this time, offering children safety, consistency, and hope when life feels unpredictable.

Role of foster carers in a child's life

Foster carers play an essential role in giving children stability when life feels uncertain. For a child who has experienced disruption or loss, something as simple as a regular mealtime, help with homework, or a safe bedtime routine can bring a powerful sense of normalcy.

Beyond daily care, foster carers provide emotional safety. They offer reassurance, encouragement, and a calm presence that helps children rebuild trust and begin to heal. In short-term situations, this may mean offering security during a difficult transition. In long-term foster care, it can mean becoming a steady influence who helps a child grow with confidence and resilience.

Every foster carer, whether involved for days or years, helps create the foundation of safety and belonging that every child needs to thrive.

At the same time, fostering can bring its challenges. Children may arrive carrying the effects of past trauma, and the process of adjusting to a new home can sometimes be emotional for everyone involved. Practical demands such as appointments, school transitions, or navigating the Out-of-Home-Care system can also feel overwhelming at times.

That is why Anglicare Foster Care walks alongside every carer with training and specialist support. You will never face the journey on your own. While fostering requires patience and resilience, carers consistently say the rewards and the moments of connection far outweigh the challenges.

Types of Foster Care

Every child's situation is unique, which is why Anglicare offers several types of foster care to meet different needs. These options provide flexibility for carers and ensure that children receive the right kind of support at the right time.

• Crisis care – Providing a safe, steady home for children who need immediate short-term care, ranging from a few days to three months.

• Short-term care – Care that may last from a few weeks to up to two years while plans are made for the child's future.

• Long-term care – Ongoing stability and security for children who are unable to return to their families. It provides a stable home where they can grow and thrive over time.

• Respite care – Regular or occasional care, often over a weekend, that gives full-time foster carers a much-needed break and supports the wellbeing of both carers and children.

• Kinship care – When relatives or close family friends care for children, keeping them connected to familiar relationships and community.

There is a pathway to suit different lifestyles, households, and experiences. Discover which type of foster care may be the right fit for you.

The Foster Care process

Starting the foster care journey may feel overwhelming, but with Anglicare you will never walk it alone. The process is structured, supportive, and designed to prepare both you and your family for the role you may play in a child's life.

• Enquiry – It begins with a simple conversation. Our friendly team will answer your questions and help you explore whether foster care could be right for you.

• Training – You will take part in learning sessions that build your understanding of foster care and equip you with practical skills for welcoming a child into your home.

• Application – This step involves completing forms and providing information about your household, lifestyle, and circumstances.

• Assessment – A collaborative process where we work with you to explore your readiness and strengths. It is designed to support families as much as children, giving you confidence that you are well prepared for the journey ahead.

• Placement – When the time is right, you will be carefully matched with a child who needs the safety, love, and stability you can provide.

Anglicare will guide you at every step, offering encouragement, resources, and ongoing support.

How Anglicare supports foster carers

Support for foster carers is at the heart of what we do. Anglicare surrounds every carer with the training, resources, and encouragement needed to feel confident and supported from the very beginning.

With Anglicare, you will have access to:

• Ongoing training – Practical learning opportunities that build your skills and confidence as a carer.

• 24/7 support – Guidance and reassurance available at any time of the day or night.

• Financial assistance – to help cover the day-to-day costs of raising a child.

• Specialist staff and caseworker support – Professionals who walk alongside you when children have more complex needs.

• Carer community networks – Connection with others who share the fostering journey, so you are never alone.

With Anglicare, you'll always have the tools, people, and support you need.