Experience the life-changing rewards of caring for a child
As an Orchard Fostering carer you’ll experience the life-changing rewards of caring for a child, safe in the knowledge that Ireland’s leading independent agency is here to support you every step of the way.
What is a foster carer?
Foster carers, or foster parents provide a full-time safe and nurturing family environment, investing time and energy for the well-being of a child or young person.
There are opportunities to foster children from short to long-term placements; we’ll work closely with you to find the perfect fostering opportunities. For more details take a look at the types of foster care we offer.
Can I become a foster carer?
It’s very likely that you can! To become a foster carer your ability to care for and nurture a child is what really matters.
To qualify for fostering you can be single, cohabiting or married and you maybe a homeowner or a tenant; we also welcome applications from all ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds.
If you’re single you’ll need to be at home full-time or have flexible part-time employment. If you’re a couple, you’ll need to arrange your working hours so that one of you is available to meet the child’s needs.
If you apply to become a foster carer with us we also carefully consider the following:
- Legal and personal preferences
- Your ability to work with us as part of a professional team
- Your health, background and lifestyle
- Your skills and any experience of parenting or caring for children
- Your ability to provide a caring and nurturing environment, including an assessment of your home
What’s the process to becoming a foster carer?
- It usually takes in the region of four months and involves a detailed look at you and your life
- With your consent, we will make checks with the Gardai and other local authorities
- We pay for you to have a full medical check-up with your GP
- We ask you to provide references who can tell us about your suitability to become a foster carer
- You attend our training course which takes place over a weekend
We’re here to help you every step of the way
Your assessing social worker will visit you regularly to collect the information for the assessment report which is presented to a fostering panel where a decision is taken. Whilst it sounds like a protracted and detailed process, most of our carers that have been through it have told us that it is actually very satisfying.
Once you’ve completed the assessment process and if you become a foster carer with us we’ll help you every step of the way and provide any additional support you might need. Our foster carers also qualify for a fostering allowance to help them provide their foster child with the very best care.
Talk to us and find out more
Call our team on 01-627 5713 or request a call back using the contact form on this page. We’re happy to answer all your questions about becoming a foster carer, so do get in touch to find out everything you need to know.
Download our brochure
Our brochure is available here for download, where you can learn more about Orchard Fostering
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