Advice

At Orchard Fostering, we provide care to a wide range of children and young people of all ages. We support all age groups during their fostering journey, from infants to those in supported lodgings. While you may have a preference for a certain age group, it is always important to remember – no matter your child’s age, you will always experience the life-changing rewards of caring for a child with Orchard Fostering. If you’re interested in foster care, please reach out to Orchard Fostering today. We’re available

One of the major criteria for becoming a foster carer is your ability to provide a safe, nurturing and comfortable environment for your child. This means not only ensuring a happy home, but also giving your child their own space in which to grow. For your child, this means having their own room in which they can sleep, study and relax. As such, it is essential to have a spare room when fostering a child of any age. Read on to find out more about

Looking after your mental health is an essential part of everyday fostering life. As a foster parent, you will face challenges on your fostering journey that will require a strong bedrock of mental wellbeing to overcome. At Orchard Fostering, we understand the importance of managing mental health and wellbeing (you can check out the full range of our supports here). That’s why we’ve compiled a list of tips for looking after your mental wellbeing on your fostering journey. Read on to find out how you

The end of a foster care placement is an emotional experience. No matter what type of foster care you are involved in – long term, short term, emergency, respite, supported lodgings – you are bound to form a bond with your foster child. Welcoming a child into your home is no small thing, and watching them walk out the door for a final time is a tough thing to do. At Orchard Fostering, we understand the difficult nature of saying goodbye to a child in

Making the decision to enter the fostering assessment process can be a daunting one, filled with seemingly unanswerable questions. Who can become a foster parent? What is the criteria for a foster care enquiry? How long should a fostering assessment take? At Orchard Fostering, we believe in making things as clear as possible for our potential foster carers. To make the fostering assessment process more transparent – and to ease any worries you might have about starting your fostering journey – we interviewed Caroline, a

Can you feel it? The rhythmic bounce of a ball against a wall, the sharp scent of fresh-cut grass wafting in from the park, the percussive laughter of kids making the most of the stretch in the evenings. After the longest winter ever (we reckon it’s been eighteen months at least), summer is finally here – and with it, it brings hope. Hope for a post-lockdown life of summer leisure. Hope for a summer of fun activities. Hope for a summer unmarred by COVID-19 and