Our mission is to create brighter futures for children and young people. We do this by providing fostering, residential and support services where children and young people can feel safe and cared for. We support them to make positive relationships which give them the confidence to succeed.
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Our vision is for every child and young person to be safe, loved and happy, to achieve their potential and have a bright future.
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All our services have the same goal: to support children and young people to fulfil their potential, grow into independent adults and have happy, successful futures.
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There are many ways you can support St Christopher's work with children and young people. Find out how you can help young people reach their goals.
Fostering
Adoption is when you become the legal parent of a child who cannot live with their family. Fostering is looking after someone else’s child, whether for a short or longer period of time.
Find out more about what foster care is in our online fostering guide.
It’s important for children and young people to have space that is their own so they can invite people in or have time to themselves.
Very young brothers and sisters can share a room if they are part of a sibling group.
No, you can foster if you live in rented accommodation. We’ll just need to check that your tenancy is stable and your home is suitable.
Unfortunately this is something you have to speak to your local authority about. We are an independent fostering agency so cannot help with housing changes.
Once you have spoken to your council please do get back in touch with us about fostering!
Yes, as long as you can be flexible and work around the needs of the young person. This could involve attending meetings or being at home on a weekday.
There are lots of myths around eligibility for fostering, so find out who can foster.
It is possible – however, some criminal offences will rule you out completely. We will work through the details and assess your individual circumstances before making a decision.
Unfortunately you cannot become a foster carer if your own children were taken into care.
Having a medical condition does not always rule you out of fostering. All carers undergo a medical with their GP as part of the application process, who then makes a recommendation on their ability to foster. All recommendations are reviewed by an independent advisor and are considered on an individual basis.
Research shows that health is adversely affected by passive smoking and that children are far more likely to smoke if people they regard as role models smoke. We therefore discourage foster carers from smoking in front of children and expect you to have clear arrangements in your home to ensure areas where children spend time are smoke free.
We would not place children aged below five or those with disabilities in a household where someone smokes.
St Christopher’s works with children of all ages, genders, ethnicities and religions. We use a matching system to choose the most appropriate carer and work with you to make sure you feel able to care for the young person. If there are any areas you feel uncertain about our team will provide additional support or training so that you are confident in your skills and can provide the right care.
We particularly need foster parents to care for teenagers and sibling groups of younger children.
Yes, you can. Pets are taken into consideration in your household assessment and further references may be sought from your vet. After an assessment has taken place some pets may be deemed unsuitable for fostering, whereas others can play a therapeutic role in your home.