Empty Nesters: Start your career in fostering

It is that time of year again when your grown-up adult children are embarking on their first steps towards independence and adulthood. Whether that may be starting university, relocating for a new job, or simply moving out to build a home of their own, having an empty house which was once bustling and busy can be hard to cope with. Becoming a foster carer could help liven up those empty homes and bring enjoyment to not only to you but also to the young people who you will be helping by making a difference in their lives. Fostering can be a rewarding career and can be a refreshing way of stepping into or continuing the parent role.

Parents have invaluable parenting skills who can offer a loving home to children who deserve brighter futures. They understand the need to nurture a child in all aspects of their lives. That is why fostering could be a great career choice for you, not only will you be starting a rewarding and fulfilling career, you will be helping develop and provide support to so many young people in care. Having a foster child in your home can not only be a great distraction from the newfound emptiness of your home, but it can also give you a fresh purpose and a new lease of life.

Our carers Brenda and Joseph become foster carers when their grown children had left home.

Joseph said: “Before I became a foster carer, I worked as a Church Treasurer. I lived in a three-bedroom house with my wife and our two grown up children and when they moved out, we were both left with each other and all this empty space around us.

The house became empty and quiet! It was an awful feeling! We used to have people around and they weren’t any more. It is like losing a part of our life and a big part of our daily job. The caring task was reduced for the need of 2 people only. And some daily routines in the house are just so difficult to amend because we have been doing it for years.

With a lifetime of experience gained as parents and as childcare worker, we thought we could give other children a chance to have a home and a family as well. That is when we started to think about becoming foster carers and giving other children a chance to have a stable home.

Despite the challenges, being a foster carer is very interesting and a rewarding job. You look after children and have the chance to make a difference in their life. Seeing them developing and thriving brings a joyful feeling. And becoming a foster carer has meant that we are now a part of a new network of people, which has been a bonus.”

It was reported earlier this year, that the number of children in care has gone up by 28% in the past decade. Official figures show there are now 78,150 children in care in England, up from 75,370 in 2018 and almost 20,000 more than in 2009 when 60,900 children were looked after. Capstone Foster Carer are making it a high priority to locate loving homes for as many foster children as we can. We are looking for more foster carers to help look after the growing number of children who are placed into care. We urge anyone who is interested in starting a career in fostering to contact us and take the first step towards making big changes to young people’s lives. 

We especially need foster carers who have a spare bedroom and can look after a child or a sibling group on a long-term basis. We are also looking for carers who can provide parent and child placements, as well as care for babies. There are a variety of placements that you may have the opportunity to look after as a foster carer, so if the above do not fit your requirements, our friendly Capstone team can talk to you about other fostering opportunities.

There are many common misconceptions that fostering is a career that you can undertake later on in life but that is simply not true. There are only a few requirements to be able to foster, the minimum age to foster is 21 years old, there is no upper age limit, and you will need to have at least one spare bedroom. Learn more about the fostering requirements and why you should choose fostering today.

Not only is Fostering a fulfilling career which allows you to make positive changes to so many lives, it is also a financially rewarding career too, foster carers get paid for each child they care for. As a Capstone foster carer, you will receive extensive training and support, as well as access to other foster carers - including support groups. We will always be there for our carers, right from the start of their fostering journey.  We encourage anyone who is interested in fostering and is considering taking the first step into fostering to contact us today.