Fostering

Could you foster a child?

There are over 700 children in care in Bristol. Many of these children need to stay with foster families, whilst they are unable to live at home.

But a national shortage of foster carers means we are struggling to find enough carers who can reflect all of our children’s backgrounds.

We urgently need more people to come forward, from all walks of life, so that we can make successful placements within Bristol and the surrounding areas.

If you think that you could foster a Bristol child, please use the links on this page to get in touch with the Family Placement Recruitment Team.

Fostering information events

Muller Hall, Wednesday May 15, 2013 from 11.30am to 1.30pm
Seymour Road, Easton, Bristol BS5 0UW
This is a drop-in event for those from black or minority ethnic backgrounds who are keen to find out more about fostering, adoption or providing short breaks to disabled children.

Windmill Hill City Farm Fair, Bedminster Saturday May 18, 2013 from 12.30pm to 3.30pm
Come along and chat to our staff and foster carer and see if fostering is something you could be a part of!

Bradley Stoke Community Fair, Jubilee Green, Bradley Stoke  11.30am - 3.30pm 8th June 2013
Come along and learn about the rewards of fostering from our team who will be on hand to answer any questions you may have.

Films of Bristol foster carers

Watch a selection of short YouTube films of Bristol foster carers like the one below.

What is the difference between fostering and adoption?

Foster carers share the responsibility for the child with a local authority and the child's parents. Fostering is usually a temporary arrangement, though sometimes foster care may be the plan until the child grows up.

Adoption is a way of providing a new family for children who cannot be brought up by their own parents. It's a legal procedure in which all the parental responsibility is transferred to the adopters.

Once an adoption order has been granted it can't be reversed except in extremely rare circumstances. An adopted child loses all legal ties with their first mother and father (the "birth parents") and becomes a full member of the new family, usually taking the family's name.

Help us to promote fostering in Bristol.

You may not be ready to foster yet or are just interested in finding out more information at this stage, but can you help us to recruit more foster carers for the children in care in our city?

You could download an A4 fostering recruitment poster (pdf, 224 KB) (opens new window) or an A4 BME fostering recruitment poster (pdf, 1.5 MB) (opens new window) and display it in your workplace or at your local church, playgroup, Scouts group etc. If you would like some copies posted contact the Family Placement Recruitment Team on 0117 353 4200 with your request.You could also send the link to this page to anyone you know who may be interested in fostering.

We really appreciate your contribution. Thank you.