What can I expect?
Foster care is much like the daily routine of most families: taking children to school, making sure they do their homework, taking an interest and offering comfort when needed.
The role of a foster carer
As a foster carer you will be very busy. Some of your responsibilities include:
- Advocate for the child in your care
- Help the child with all their daily routines, such as homework
- Find activities that the child enjoys boosting their confidence and self esteem
- Promote contact with birth families
- Help children manage their behaviour and feelings
- Work as part of a professional team
- Attend meetings and training
- Keep records and write reports about the children in your care

Welcoming a child into your home
Every child is different and meeting new fostering families can be daunting and overwhelming. Some children and young people settle in quite quickly, where others take time to feel comfortable so it’s important to be patient and understanding.
Your social worker will give you advice on how best to welcome the child or young person into your home, such as creating welcome books or taking them on a tour of your home. We provide training to help you support a child with their emotional well being and any related behaviour
Support from your family and friends
It’s important that not only you understand your role as a foster carer, but that your family and your close friends do too. We recommend you speak to your close family and friends about fostering before you start your application. Their support will be invaluable right the way through.
Your children will also be included in the conversations throughout your application where necessary, as well as host participation events for them throughout the year.


Saying goodbye
Whether you’ve been fostering for a couple of weeks, or even a few years, there’s no easy way to say goodbye to someone you’ve looked after, so remember to share happy memories, keep a positive attitude and confide in a friend if you need to.
Create a scrapbook or a memory box for them as a reminder of the positive impact you’ve had on one another’s lives.
Remember that, without you, they could have been in a very different situation and may not have experienced, learnt or discovered what they now have.
Download our information pack
Discover everything you need to know about how to foster with Hampshire County Council Fostering Service with our comprehensive information pack.
