Become a Foster Carer

About us

Sunbeam is one of the largest independent fostering agencies in the UK.

There are at any one time more than 65,000 children in the England in the care system and as the population grows so does the number of children requiring foster homes.

We provide good quality and innovated family placements to children in care. Sunbeam is an established Independent Fostering Agency that provides a range of fostering placements to meet the needs of looked after children. The organisation is managed by a team of experienced, qualified professionals who provide innovative and needs led service to children and young people in foster care.

More About Us

What Sets Sunbeam Apart

Why Choose Sunbeam

We offered 1,000s placements and over 500 new placements made in the last 3 years.

Excellent support

Local support & progressive up to date training programme

Competitive Allowances

Competitive fostering allowances to cover children’s needs

Effective Matching

Careful matching of placements with your family

20 Years of Experience

Experienced & qualified staff to undertake your assessment

Learn more

Sunbeam Fostering

Know About Fostering

Fostering is a way of providing a stable family life for children and young people, who are unable to live with their parents at a point in time.

WHY FOSTER?

Fostering gives children a chance to thrive in a safe, secure, loving and …

Fostering children is a great service to brighten their future. Fostering …

WHY CHOOSE SUNBEAM?

At Sunbeam, we are proud of our standards and the support and training …

FOSTERING ALLOWANCE

As a foster carer, you will receive fostering allowance which normally …

Fostering Need

Need for Fostering is increasing in UK

There are at any one time more than 65,000 children in the UK in the care system

As the population grows so does the number of children requiring foster homes. Choosing to become a foster parent and deciding to give something back to society can be a wonderful but often daunting experience with many people not knowing where to start.

Number of Vacant Places

Source: Click Here

Our Commitment

We welcome foster carers from a diverse range of backgrounds and all ages. We importantly look for carers that are committed to working with challenging and vulnerable children.

At Sunbeam, we are proud of our standards and the support and training that we provide to our foster carers. We are driven by children’s needs, which means we take time with every child to tackle the problems he/she faces while encouraging positive behaviour as well as offering support with education, employability, and addiction and self-harm issues.

Professional, experienced, qualified staff to undertake your assessment

Comprehensive and progressive up to date training programme

A supervising social worker who will be local to you and dedicated to supporting you

Careful matching of placements with your family

Want to start fostering?

Steps to become a foster carer

The process of becoming a foster carer is summarised below. You will receive full support at all stages and help with anything you are unsure of.

Make an Enquiry

Call us or complete an online enquiry form Sunbeam will contact you for an initial discussion

Initial Home Visit

A worker from Sunbeam will visit to discuss fostering with you further, to gather some background information.

Application form

Once Initial Home Visit is completed and your application is accepted, a formal assessment will begin.

Fostering Assessment

The assessment process sometimes called a ‘home study’ or ‘Form F’ essentially involves a review of your suitability to provide foster care.

Preparation Training

You will receive specific training through a three-day training course to prepare you to foster and to achieve “Skills to Foster”.

Panel

Following your training and fostering assessment, the report will be submitted to an Independent Panel.

Approved

The Agency decision maker will have the final decision regarding your approval. Once approved you will then be a registered carer.

View in detail

FILL THE ENQUIRY FORM

Start Fostering With Sunbeam

Become a Foster Carer

What foster carers are saying about Sunbeam

Foster Carer

This job is probably one of my favourites. Every day is different, every day has new challenges and every day has new rewards. It’s not always easy but each challenge you go through with the child bonds you and makes you both stronger for each other.

Hannah and Kashif

We have been fostering for the last 8 years and feel proud to be a part of the Sunbeam family. At the beginning, we thought it’s a tough job, but the skills to foster initial training and the whole assessment procedure to become a carer was interesting, and it gave us both a broad insight into both the tough and rewarding side of what we were likely to encounter.

Asma

“Fostering is a rewarding experience as it allows you to actually make a difference for a child/young person. I feel happy being able to make such a difference whether it is for one day or several years.”

Karen Thorn

“When they told me that I had been approved for fostering, well I just cried. I was an emotional wreck and was so happy that I just couldn’t hold back my very, very, happy tears.”