Across the East Midlands, foster carers play a vital role in supporting vulnerable children and families. One of the most specialist and fulfilling types of fostering is parent and child fostering. Our foster carers support the care of a child (often a younger child aged 0 to 2 years) by their parent or parents in their home, during what is a crucial stage of their lives. This type of fostering can help families stay together, while ensuring babies receive the safe start they deserve.

What is parent and child fostering?

Parent and child fostering is a specialist type of care where one or sometimes both parents and their child live with trained foster carers. During their stay, carers provide a safe and supportive home while professionals assess the parent’s ability to care for their child independently.

Key points:

  • They families may come to stay before birth or shortly after. The children are usually aged 0 to 2 years old.
  • This type of care can typically last several months and possibly up to a year.
  • The aim is to support and guide parents, whilst they develop the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to safely care for their child independently

Why this type of fostering is used

Local authorities try to find a parent and child carer when they want to give a parent a chance to care for their own child but are not sure whether they can do this safely without extra support and supervision.  This type of care can give parents and children the chance to stay together whilst they develop the parenting skills needed, rather than separate them as might have happened in the past.

Common situations include:

  • Very young or vulnerable first-time parents, including some who may still be in care themselves
  • Parents who have experienced difficult or unstable lives
  • Where there are significant concerns about a parent’s ability to safely care for their child on their own
  • Parents recovering from mental health challenges or substance misuse
  • Situations where professionals need to assess parenting ability

Supporting parents to learn and grow

Foster carers help parents build confidence and learn practical skills. This can include:

  • Feeding and bathing routines
  • Safe sleeping practices
  • Attending health appointments
  • Building strong bonds with their baby
  • Understanding child development

By offering practical advice and reassurance, carers help parents develop daily routines and respond confidently to their baby’s needs.

The role of foster carers

Foster carers provide a nurturing, safe, and supportive environment where both parent and baby can thrive. They act as mentors, offering guidance, encouragement, and emotional support while ensuring the baby’s safety and wellbeing through close supervision.

Even when life seems calm, foster carers are actively:

  • Observing parenting behaviours to see how the parent responds to their baby
  • Supporting learning with practical advice and guidance
  • Ensuring safety and wellbeing at all times, intervening in the child’s care if required.
  • Recording observations for professionals to assess progress

These observations help social workers and other professionals understand how parents are developing their skills and confidence.

Carers also receive specialist training, ongoing support, and financial allowances to help them carry out this vital role.

Helping families stay together

Parent and child fostering can make a real difference to families facing challenges. With support, parents can develop the confidence and skills needed to care for their baby safely.

For children: They can remain with their parent in a stable and supportive environment, ensuring they receive safe and appropriate care.

For parents: They can receive guidance and support in the care of their child(ren) during what can be a challenging period of time, whilst an assessment of their parenting is undertaken.

Could you make a difference?

In your community, there is a growing need for foster carers to support children and families.

Parent and child fostering requires patience, empathy, and commitment, but it can also be one of the most rewarding ways to make a positive impact.

As experienced foster carer Phil says:

Watching a young mum grow in confidence, seeing her bond with her baby – it’s an amazing feeling.

Foster carer Ruth encourages anyone considering fostering:

If you have the heart for it, don’t let doubts hold you back… you never know where it might lead.

Read Phil and Ruth's foster carer news story of how they have foster parents with their children for over 25 years. 

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