Fostering in St Helens

Children in care often need someone who can offer patience, encouragement and consistency during uncertain times. Foster carers help children build confidence, develop positive relationships and experience the security of family life. The support you provide today could shape a child's future for years to come.

At Action for Children Fostering, we're looking for people from all walks of life across St Helens who can offer a caring home and a commitment to helping children thrive. Whether you live in the town centre or one of the surrounding communities, fostering gives you the opportunity to support local children while helping them remain connected to the people and places that matter most to them.

You don't need to be perfect to become a foster carer. What matters is your ability to provide understanding, compassion and a stable environment where a child can feel valued and supported.

If you're ready to make a lasting difference, our team is here to help you take the next step.

We know that fostering involves both practical and emotional commitment, which is why we provide financial support designed to help foster carers focus on what matters most: caring for children and young people.

Our fostering payments include a weekly allowance and a fostering fee. The allowance helps cover everyday costs such as food, clothing, transport and activities, while the fee recognises the responsibility, dedication and skills involved in fostering.

The amount you receive will depend on the type of fostering you provide and the needs of the child placed with you. Additional support may be available to help with educational activities, celebrations, holidays and other important opportunities that contribute to a child's wellbeing.

We aim to provide the financial reassurance foster carers need to create stable and supportive home environments.

By helping to remove financial concerns, we enable carers to focus on building strong relationships and supporting children to achieve their potential.

Fostering is a team effort, and we're committed to ensuring foster carers always have access to the support they need.

From your first enquiry through to becoming an experienced foster carer, you'll be supported by a dedicated team of professionals. Every foster carer has a supervising social worker who provides guidance, practical advice and regular supervision throughout their fostering journey.

We understand that every fostering household is unique, which is why our support is flexible and tailored to individual circumstances.

Our support includes:

• Dedicated support from an experienced supervising social worker
• Regular supervision meetings and home visits
• Foster carer support groups
• Opportunities to connect with other fostering households
• Access to specialist advice and professional services
• Out-of-hours support whenever urgent help is required

Many foster carers tell us that talking to other carers helps them gain confidence, learn new approaches and feel part of a wider support network.

Our goal is to ensure every foster carer feels supported, informed and valued throughout their fostering experience.

We believe every foster carer should feel fully prepared for the role. That's why we provide high-quality training and development opportunities from the start of your fostering journey.

All training is free of charge and designed to help carers understand children's needs, develop practical skills and build confidence.

Skills to Foster

This introductory programme covers the foundations of fostering, including child development, attachment, safeguarding, communication and understanding the experiences of children in care.

Therapeutic Parenting

Many children entering care have experienced loss, trauma or disruption. Therapeutic parenting training helps carers understand how these experiences can affect behaviour while developing supportive approaches that help children feel safe and understood.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding training focuses on child protection, online safety, health and wellbeing, recognising potential risks and supporting children in a safe and responsible way.

Continued Learning

Learning continues throughout your fostering journey. As your experience grows, you'll have access to additional training designed to strengthen your skills and support children with a variety of needs and experiences.

Our training programme helps foster carers feel confident, knowledgeable and equipped to provide safe and nurturing homes.

Many people who become exceptional foster carers start out believing they wouldn't be suitable for the role. The reality is that foster carers come from many different backgrounds, occupations and family situations.

Generally, you may be able to foster if you:

• Are aged 21 or over
• Have a spare bedroom
• Have the right to live and work in the UK
• Can provide a stable and supportive home

We welcome enquiries from:

• Single people
• Couples and partners
• Parents and people without children
• Homeowners and tenants
• Working professionals
• Retired individuals
• People from all cultural, ethnic and faith backgrounds
• LGBTQ+ individuals and couples
• People living with disabilities

There is no single profile of a foster carer because children benefit from a diverse range of homes and positive role models.

The qualities we value most are patience, kindness, resilience and a genuine commitment to helping children succeed.

By becoming a foster carer in St Helens, you could offer a child the security, encouragement and opportunities they need to develop confidence and build a brighter future.

Contact our St Helens fostering team today to find out more about fostering and discover how you could make a life-changing difference to a local child.