We have children across Buckinghamshire who need a loving home. There are many ways you could Be the Change for a child in care, including fostering or adoption.
Fostering
What is fostering?
Being a foster carer means caring for a child as part of your family in your home.
You could foster a child for a single night or a number of years, even until the child is an adult.
You could be a short or long term foster carer or offer emergency and respite care.
Who can foster?
To foster a child, you will need:
- a spare room exclusively for the foster child
- to be over 21 years old
- to have indefinite leave to remain or full residency within the UK
You can foster if you are married or single, already have children or are from the LGBTQ+ community.
To give a child the best start in life, we also ask that you have:
- good communication skills
- sensitivity and understanding
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- the ability to work as part of a team
- good record keeping skills
- the ability to set firm boundaries and manage children's behaviour
Is fostering for me?
Use our FosteringReady tool to quickly learn more and to create a personalised plan of things you can do to get ready for fostering.
Find out if you're ready to fosterAdoption
We are asking residents and those who live on our borders, who may be thinking about adoption whether this is the time to Be the Change in a child’s life.
We are especially looking for adopters for:
- older children (aged 5 and over)
- children with more complex needs
- brothers and sisters
- children from non-white ethnic heritage
Could you Be the Change for a child in 2023?
What is adoption?
Adoption provides a stable, permanent home for a child or children in need.
Adoption is a legal process whereby parental responsibility for a child is transferred by a court, from the birth parents to adoptive parents. This is often the best outcome for children who cannot live with their birth family and will not be able to return to their care in the future.
Who can adopt?
To adopt a child you need to:
- be over 21
- live in a settled accommodation which can provide a safe environment for a child, with a spare bedroom for exclusive use of the child
- be able to provide space and time to meet the child's needs
- have lived in the UK for at least one year, or one member of the couple must be a resident of the UK
- have a valid DBS certificate
You can adopt if you are married or single, already have children or are from the LGBTQ+ community.
Is adoption for me?
The best way to find out if you can adopt and see if you are ready to start the adoption process, is by using our adoption readiness tool.
Find out if you can adoptAttend a fostering and adoption event
On Wednesday 22 February, at a venue in Aylesbury, you will be able to meet with experienced:
- adopters between 12pm and 2pm
- foster carers between 10am and 4pm
This is an opportunity to meet foster carers and adopters caring for children, hear their joys and challenges and to meet some of the workers in the teams that will be supporting applicants through the process.
Book your place at the event
To book a space and obtain further event details please email:
- the adoption team on [email protected]
- the fostering team on [email protected]