Matching religious beliefs in foster placements

If you come from a religious background it can be difficult to know if fostering is for you. We all want to help children who need a home, but what if they support different beliefs?

We will talk you through how we match our children to our foster carers in this article. Hopefully we can help you make the right decision by the end.

Could my religious or cultural background stop me from becoming a foster carer?

Absolutely not. We accept people from all different backgrounds, religions, heritages, and faiths. We strongly believe that a child who comes from a religious background would benefit greatly from being placed into a foster home that practices the same beliefs. Matching placements in accordance with religion is important to us, as we know it will be the best outcome for both the foster carer as well as the child.

It is important the child is put into a home with the same beliefs as we want the child to feel confident, loved, and happy in their placements.

Can I decide which child I foster?

You always have a say in what children you would prefer to foster. This is discussed at the start of the fostering process. We will then review all our foster carers when we have a child ready for placement. We would never give our foster carers a child we didn’t think would be a good fit, whether that be due to their age, behaviour, or religious beliefs.

If you want to foster a child from the same religious background, we will try our best to find the most appropriate child that fits your needs, as well as theirs. It is always easier for us to match foster parents and children if you are more open to fostering children with different beliefs, this will make the matching process a lot easier.

Will I receive training and support?

Yes, we offer training and support to all our foster carers. This includes preparation training, and after you are approved we will support you to complete the Children’s Workforce Development Council Fostering Standards within your first year of fostering.

We also offer an ongoing comprehensive training programme which covers a range of different topics.

Alongside our training, you will be allocated a qualified Supervising Social Worker who is on hand to always help, and, if necessary, we have an out of hours service, enabling you to access support 24 hours a day, every day of the year.