Types of fostering

We offer many different options for foster care, so you can find one that best fits your experience, preference, and circumstances.

We can help you decide on the type of fostering that is best for you and your household.

We need carers for all ages however we have an urgent need for carers who can care for:

  • Teenagers and young adults
  • Children with complex needs
  • Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children
  • Sibling groups

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We are committed to giving young people the best possible chances that life can offer them. Although their past has been considerably traumatic there is no need to make it part of their future.
- Lisa, Croydon foster carer
Two women sitting side by side, one with brown hair and wearing a grey cardigan and jeans, the other with blonde hair and a pink top and skirt

Short term foster care

As a short-term foster carer, you can offer placements for a few days, weeks, or up to eighteen months

Long term foster care 

As a long-term foster carer you can offer a permanent foster home for a child or young person until they are 18, or longer with the Staying Put scheme.

Private fostering

Private fostering is when a child or young person under 16 years old, or under 18 if they have a disability, lives with someone for 28 days or more who is not a close relative, guardian, or person with parental responsibility.

A close relative would be a parent, step-parent, aunt, uncle or grandparent. People become private foster carers for all sorts of reasons. They might be a friend of the child’s family. They could be someone who is willing to look after a child they do not know, for example, if that child is on an exchange trip or have parents who live overseas. 

The law requires that anyone directly involved in a private fostering arrangement must notify their local authority at least six weeks before the arrangement. This makes sure that safeguard checks are completed, and everyone involved is happy with the arrangement.

If you are in a private fostering arrangement or know someone who is please contact us

Telephone: 0208 255 2888.
Email: mash@croydon.gov.uk

For more information please visit: Private fostering.

Respite foster carers

Respite foster carers act as support for other fostering households and the children they care for. They care for the child for short periods from 1 night up to 2 weeks. 

Respite fostering often takes place at the weekend or during school holidays and is planned well in advance. We ask our respite foster carers to provide at least 21 days of care per year.

This is an ideal role for someone who wants to care for Croydon’s vulnerable children and young people but is unable to commit to a full-time role.  It is also a great stepping stone to becoming a full-time foster carer.

Respite foster carers still benefit from our round-the-clock support, comprehensive training and mentor scheme and also receive a minimum of £65 per day per child.

Get in touch

Email: iwanttofoster@croydon.gov.uk

Telephone: 0300 222 2112

Facebook: fosterforcroydon