Fostering

Welcoming a child or young people into your home when they most need you can change their life and yours.

Our foster families provide love, stability, structure and care for children and young people. Foster homes provide a safe space where children and young people can grow, learn and heal. It’s rewarding, challenging, emotional and satisfying.

It’s hard to overestimate the positive impact you could have in a child or young person’s life. The experiences in our childhood help to shape us. By providing a safe, stable and supportive environment you can make a real difference in someone’s life. Children and young people who have lived in foster care have remained in contact with their foster carers long after their placement has ended, illustrating that life long bonds can be formed.

Why foster with us?

We want all East Lothian’s children and young people to have happy, safe and supportive homes.

There are lots of reasons why this isn’t always possible in a family environment - either for a short period or longer-term. We want all our children and young people to stay in East Lothian – to provide vital stability for schooling, continuing to be part of extended family and retaining friendships. It is vital that children and young people are valued and cared for by the wider community.

Fostering with East Lothian Council means becoming part of our fostering family.

We are with you every step of the way to help you succeed as a foster parent - from welcoming a child or young person into your home, helping children grow in care and confidence, and preparing any child for the next steps in their life journey. We’re here to help you be the best foster carer that you can be, and to enjoy the experience too.

Our foster carers are supported by our dedicated team and by each other through our fostering support networks.

Foster carers come from a wide range of backgrounds and have different experiences, family settings and reasons for becoming involved in fostering. What is clear is the commitment they have to caring for children and young people who need them - and helping them to flourish.