lady with girl with curly hair in her arms

Who Can Foster?

Foster carers are ordinary people of all ages, from all walks of life and ethnic backgrounds.

Here in Sutton we believe that all looked after children deserve to have their own bedroom so anyone thinking of becoming a foster carer does need to have a room that can be used solely for a foster child and is big enough to have a bed, wardrobe and chest of drawers.

Foster carers can be:

  • married or living together
  • single
  • divorced
  • widowed
  • in a same sex relationship
  • be working or unemployed
  • own a home or rent
  • have birth children or not

Sutton welcomes applications from people with disabilities. The assessment process and medical checks will ensure you can provide adequate care for a child.

boy building with bricks There are no official qualifications needed to become a foster carer and if you read the training page you will see what you are expected to do as part of your assessment process and what on-going training is offered to you.

Foster carers need to be patient and flexible, committed to children and able to give quality time and to nurture a foster child. You will need lots of energy, be even tempered but firm when it comes to setting boundaries and routines. We are looking for people who can manage challenging behaviour without judging the child.

Once you have read all the information on these pages you need to complete and submit the online initial contact form. 
When we receive it a social worker from the fostering team will call you to talk about the next stage.