Why Children Need Fostering

If children cannot live at home with their families, Social Services has a duty to look after them. This means that the children are fostered or adopted.

There are a number of different reasons why children need looking after by Social Services. A few of them are:

• Neglect or abuse by a family
  member
• Illness or death of a family member
• Poverty
• Solvent/alcohol abuse within the family
• Relationship problems between parents or between parents and child
• A parent's or child's disability
• Law breaking by parent or child
• Young unaccompanied asylum seekers.

Children can live with foster families for a night or for several years. They may still see their natural family regularly and in most cases will return home to them once the problems have been eased. If this is not possible then the child will be placed for adoption and Social Services will find a new family for them.

Children under the age of 8 years are most likely to be placed for adoption.

Children older than 8 years are usually placed in long term foster care.

Where sibling groups are taken in to care we endeavour to place them together in the same family.

If you would like us to contact you by phone or email to discuss becoming a foster carer, please click the following link and complete the Fostering Enquiries Contact Us/Self Referral Online Form or

• To contact the team by phone ring 01628-683201
• Send your enquiry by email to adoption-fostering@rbwm.gov.uk.
• The address to write to is: Fostering, Adoption & Respite Service, Town Hall, St Ives Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 1RF
  

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