Become a supported lodgings host

Supported lodgings is a scheme that offers young people, aged 16 to 25, accommodation in a home environment when leaving foster or residential care.

Supported lodgings hosts offer a bedroom in their home, as well as a level of support, to help develop the young persons independent living skills. 

This is usually a specified number of hours of support per week.

You could:

• teach money management
• help with time management
• attend meetings with them
• provide guidance on living skills (cooking, cleaning, paying bills)

Much like fostering, you are offering a spare room in your house to a young person.

However, it differs from fostering because:

• you will not have any form of parental responsibility for the child
• you will not be expected to carry out daily parental tasks like a foster carer would
• the scheme is exclusively for young people aged 16 to 25 (where in foster a care a child can be much younger)

Supported lodgings differ from foster care because they empower a young person to live independently.

Foster care provides homes for children and young people who are not ready for independence yet, usually because they are too young. 

You can become a host if you: 

• live in Buckinghamshire and have a spare bedroom 
• are able to work with social workers and other professionals as part of a team
• have experience interacting and working with young people in a fair, honest and objective way
• can respect the confidentiality of a young person but also alert your social worker and other professionals of any concerns

We are committed to recruiting supported lodgings hosts from diverse, ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds.

You do not need to be married. You can be single, divorced or cohabiting. We also welcome applications from people of all sexual orientations.