Foster carers provide care for children and young people in their home, while their own family members are unable to look after them. Foster care may be needed for just a few days, weeks, months or longer term.

Lots of children return home to their families, so foster carers need to be able to work with parents and other family members as well. Some children cannot return home and foster carers then help children move on to adoptive parents. Sometimes children need to stay with foster carers until they're ready to live independently.

Foster carers can choose the age and gender of the child or children they look after and can decide to foster at weekends, for short breaks or for longer periods. Foster carers work as part of a team, with social workers, teachers and other professionals to help the children they look after. Fostering can be one of the most challenging yet enjoyable and rewarding childcare careers.

Why do children need fostering?

Children are in care because of their family situation. Foster carers look after children so that families have time to sort out their difficulties such as illness or depression, but sadly many foster children will have suffered abuse or neglect at some point in their lives.

Who can foster?

There is no such thing as a typical foster carer. Our foster carers come from all age groups and backgrounds, living in all kinds of homes across Kirklees.

You can be:

• single - male or female, married, living as a couple, same sex couple, divorced or widowed
• with or without children
• of any religious faith or none
• of any cultural background
• homeowners or renting
• employed, retired or on benefits
• with or without childcare experience
• with or without qualifications

We need people from all communities and backgrounds in Kirklees to consider fostering. It's very important that everyone in your household is committed to fostering.

A baby can sleep in a cot in a foster carer's bedroom, however a foster child over 2 will need his or her own bedroom. In some cases foster children who are siblings may be able to share a bedroom.

There are many ways to foster, some children will suit your situation and home life better than others. With our guidance and support we can help identify a child who will fit in with your family and circumstances.

We're always looking for new foster carers to help make a real, positive difference to a child or young person at a challenging point in their lives.

Work has never been so rewarding