Parent & Child Foster Carer

As a parent & child foster carer, you’ll support families by guiding parents as they learn to care for their children in a nurturing environment.

Parent & child foster carers provide a safe, supportive, and supervised home for a parent and their baby or young child. This specialist fostering role helps parents develop the skills and confidence they need to care for their child independently, while ensuring the child’s wellbeing is protected throughout the placement.

Each arrangement is tailored to the needs of the family and can range from high‑level supervision—where the carer provides most of the baby’s care—to more independent setups where the parent takes the lead with guidance. Placements typically last around 12 weeks but can vary depending on progress and assessment outcomes. Carers play a key role in observing, mentoring, and recording the parent’s development, helping professionals make informed decisions about the family’s future.

Responsibilities

• Provide a safe and nurturing environment for both the parent and child, ensuring the child’s wellbeing is always prioritised.
• Support the parent’s development by modelling and guiding essential skills such as feeding, changing, sleep routines, and household management.
• Observe and record progress in a neutral and factual way, contributing to parenting assessments and safeguarding decisions.
• Maintain respectful relationships with the parent, even when challenges arise, and encourage reflection and growth.
• Work closely with professionals including social workers and health visitors, attending meetings and sharing observations.
• Adapt to different levels of supervision, from full‑time support to more independent arrangements, depending on the placement plan.

Criteria

To become a parent and child foster carer, you’ll need to meet the following requirements:

• Be aged 21 or over.
• Have experience caring for babies or young children, ideally with a therapeutic approach.
• Be able to provide a spare bedroom and a safe, welcoming home.
• Be emotionally resilient, patient, and able to maintain professional boundaries.
• Be comfortable with recording observations and communicating clearly with professionals.
• Be open to cultural and parenting differences, and committed to supporting positive outcomes for both parent and child.

We welcome foster carers from all backgrounds and celebrate the strength and diversity of our fostering community.

You could foster if you are:

• A single person or part of a couple (including same‑sex couples)
• A homeowner or renting
• Working full‑time, part‑time, or not currently employed
• From any cultural, ethnic, or religious background

By joining our team, you will benefit from:

• Regular supervision from your fostering social worker
• A dedicated support group for parent and child foster carers

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I be responsible for the baby?

Your role is to support and observe the parent, not to parent the child yourself unless safety concerns arise.

Do I need experience with babies or young parents?

It helps, but full training is provided. A nurturing and non‑judgmental attitude is key.

How long do parent & child placements last?

Typically 12 weeks, but this can vary depending on assessments and progress.

All fostering enquiries are handled first by our partners, Fostering South West (also known as the regional hub). The hub brings together enquiries for all local authorities across the South West. They aim to contact you within two days of your enquiry for an initial chat to help you decide whether fostering is right for you. If it is, the hub passes your enquiry to us (South Gloucestershire Council), and we support you through the rest of your fostering journey.

Register your interest and begin your incredible journey to becoming a foster carer with us.

If you have the patience, commitment and understanding to care for children and young people, we’d love to hear from you.

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