What is fostering?
Fostering is looking after a child who is unable to live with their birth family and who is in the care of the Local Authority. A child is any person under the age of 18 years.
There are many reasons why a child may not be able to live within their birth family. This could include family breakdown, crisis situations of a child that may have experienced neglect or abuse.
Fostering is a way of providing a safe and nurturing environment.
There is more than one type of fostering– we will help you to choose the type of fostering that suits you, your family and your commitments.
We encourage carers who can open their heart and their home to individual children and sibling groups.
Please see the below video 'Jack become a foster carer aged just 21'.
Types of fostering
Short term foster carers usually look after a child for a few weeks or months at a time. Sometimes, you might care for the same child for up to 2 years. This is while professionals support families to see if their child can return home.
Sometimes children will not be able to live with their own birth families for a number of years, if at all. Long-term fostering allows children to stay in a fostering family where they can feel secure as they grow into adulthood. The young person will be supported by the foster carer through to independence. Once the young person is 18 years of age the foster carer may then choose to continue to support the young person further by something called a ‘Staying Put Arrangement.’ More information about Luton’s Staying Put Policy can be shared if requested.
A respite foster carer provides a short break for a child, sometimes whilst their existing carer or parent needs support. Respite carers in Luton are asked to provide respite for at least 12 occasions per year and is ideal for foster carers who may not be able to commit to full time fostering.
This is when a young parent, along with their child are looked after by the foster carer. The Local Authority may be completing an assessment on the parents ability to care for their child and your role will be to support them with the skills and knowledge they need to care for their child.
This is about providing intensive support and care to vulnerable young people, who may display challenging behaviour or have complex needs. This type of fostering is usually suited to those who already have experience of fostering.
PACE foster carers provide overnight care to young people aged between who have been arrested, before they attend court the next working day. This is to prevent young people from spending excessive time within police custody. Risk assessments would be completed before any young person is considered for this arrangement.
Shared care
Shared care is a respite scheme for families who have a disabled child aged between 0-18. The aim of the scheme is to link the child to a carer who would care for the child in the carers own home. The carer is known as the shared carer. The assessment process for Shared Care is completed by our Shared Care Service, we would be happy to signpost you for more information if this type of fostering would suit you. Please visit the Shared Care Service website.
Fostering is different to adoption
While both fostering and adoption aim to provide a stable, loving home for children who aren’t able to live with their birth families, there are some key differences:
- with fostering, the legal responsibility for the child remains with the local authority and the child’s birth parents. However, when somebody adopts a child, they become their legal guardian and are fully responsible for their wellbeing on a permanent basis.
- foster parents receive training and financial allowances to provide care, so it’s more like a career with professional support and supervision along the way. Find out more information about adoption.
Why choose Luton Council?
Becoming a foster carer can be one of the most rewarding, life-changing things you could do.
In the East of England, more than 150 children and young people come into Local Authority care every month. Luton children and young people need your help to remain local to Luton.
We are a non-profit Local Authority fostering service, supporting Luton children and the local community. We are corporate parents for Luton children in care and we want the very best for them.
Luton Council is a council that CARES and our values underpin the way we operate as an organisation, influence our choices and our behaviours and provide a golden thread running through everything we do.
Our guiding framework as a Local Authority fostering service is that we want to provide exceptional services, where all children are loved, belong and matter. Our overarching Council vision is to build a healthy, fair, and sustainable town where everyone can thrive, and no one has to live in poverty.
Our team has a strong sense of the town, understand its issues and have the local knowledge and contacts to help deliver a local resource. We are corporate parents for our Luton children looked after and we want the same things for the children and young people we look after as any good parent would want for their child.
We are proud to be one of the most diverse towns in England, where people of many backgrounds, faiths, and cultures are living, working and collaborating together. 54.8% of our population were identified as non-white and over 100 languages were recorded as being spoken in our town in the 2021 census. Luton celebrates many events throughout the year. Whether it’s Luton International Carnival, Diwali, Eid, Pride and more. Our fostering service is committed to supporting and celebrating the diversity of our Luton children, alongside the diversity of our fostering families.
Find out more information about the support and benefits on offer from Luton Council.
Contact us
Please reach out to us if you have any questions at all. Our team are available to answer your questions 8:00am to 8:00pm Monday to Sunday
Phone: 01582 547633
Online: Express an interest: A member of our team will be in touch within 24 hours