A guide to fostering teenagers

According to recent statistics, over a third of children in care are between 10 to 15 years old, with a staggering 22,080 teenagers in care aged 16 and over.

Teenagers are often the most vulnerable, experiencing a lot of change during adolescence, leaving them at a crossroads. They seek stability, understanding and direction, which foster carers can lovingly provide.

In this guide, we’ll explore why teenage fostering is needed and how it can make a difference to the lives of young people in care.

Why foster teenagers?

Fostering teenagers can be very rewarding. Whether you are in the process of preparing your foster child for leaving care, or helping them to navigate through the complexities of teenage years – there are many benefits to fostering teenagers, such as:

Independence – most teenagers are in full-time education or take part in extracurricular activities, making them more independent than younger children in care.

Not as demanding – compared to young children, teenagers are less demanding. They are typically more self-sufficient and require fewer physical demands that a younger child would need e.g. feeding or bathing.

Easier communication – as teenagers are more developed than younger children, they can communicate more openly. Not only does this make it easier to provide the appropriate care, it creates a stronger bond between both a foster child and foster carer through deeper and more meaningful conversations.

Consistency – from daily routines, social life and hobbies, most teenagers value a consistent routine. This makes providing care and support much easier.

Support – teenage years are arguably the most critical part of a person’s life, shaping them into the person they will become. Foster carers are crucial to providing loving care and support during a time where it may be needed the most, becoming a role model to the teenagers in their care.

Why are teenagers placed into care?

Similarly to young children, teenagers are often placed into care for the same reasons. This may include:

• Neglect
• An unstable home
• Abuse
• Bereavement
• Runaways or truancy
• Juvenile offenders which may lead to remand fostering

Who can foster a teenager?

Here at Foster Care UK, we are proud to have foster carers from all walks of life. Regardless of your gender, religion, cultural background, ethnicity, sexual orientation or marital status, we would love to hear from you. All that we require are the basic legal requirements, including:

• Be over the age of 21
• Have the legal right to live and work in the UK
• You have a spare bedroom to accommodate a teenager in your care
• Can emotionally and physically care for a foster child

Care leaver support                     

A care leaver is a young person between the age of 16-25, who lived in care for a minimum of 13 weeks since 14 years of age.  

Local authorities provide support that is set in place to ensure that care leavers have the support they need when leaving care. However, the support varies from each local council and may not be sufficient enough.

Here at FosterCare UK, we recognise the challenges care leavers might face when leaving foster care. That’s why we have an additional support system in place to help our care leavers, which includes a ‘pathway plan’ to help each care leaver achieve their goals. Find out more about our care leaver support here.

Staying put or staying close

‘Staying put’, or as we call it here at Foster Care UK, ‘staying close’ is a government scheme in England whereby young people have the right to remain in the care of or in contact with their foster family after their 18^th birthday. It is intended to support care leavers who may benefit from extending their stay with their foster family. Find out more about the ‘staying put’ policy here.

Considering fostering a teenager?

Looking for more information on who can foster? Or the different types of fostering available? Simply get in touch with a member of our team on 0800 012 4004 to help answer any questions you may have.