The Foster Care Transforming Lives conference taking place in Edinburgh on 20 November will explore the similarities, differences and developments in foster care systems across Europe, with a focus on how they can support children through childhood, prepare young people for adulthood and how foster care can support brith families. 

Matilda has been part of a fostering family all her life. Her parents became foster carers when she was only a baby. At the age of 12 she has helped to change the future of many fostered children already. Matilda loves being part of a foster family and was recently awarded with the Outstanding Contribution by Sons and Daughters award. Here she shares what she thinks about foster care and how it has shaped her as a person.

With many care-experienced young people either embarking on their university career or returning for another year, we asked one care-experienced student at Kingston University about how the university's specialist KU Cares programme has supported them.

Accessing and understanding the benefits system can be difficult for foster carers and the young people they look after. Information from Jobcentre Plus does not always take into account their unique circumstances. For example, the under-occupancy charge (the bedroom tax) which can affect their fostering. There can also be complications when young people are required to claim benefits to fund a post-18 arrangement.

The Foster Care Transforming Lives conference taking place in Edinburgh on 20 November will explore the similarities, differences and developments in foster care systems across Europe, with a focus on how they can support children through childhood, prepare young people for adulthood and how foster care can support birth families.

How would it feel to move from your foster carer in Lincolnshire to your Nigerian birth mother in London? Shola Amoo, artist and filmmaker from London, explores the feelings behind such a change in in his new film. The Last Tree explores identity and culture and shines a light on a young person’s journey trying to find himself. We spoke to Shola about his motivations for the film.

Shopping for food, cooking meals, washing clothes. There are many skills that young people need to learn before they are ready to live independently, but managing money is one of the most important.

Saying goodbye to children can be one of the most challenging aspects of being a foster carer.

In this blog, Vicki – a single mum of a 10-year-old boy and foster carer for the last seven years – talks about the grief she has felt when saying goodbye.

For many, retirement is a stage of life to settle down and take things easy. For Richard Haynes, a 75-year-old from Gloucestershire, it provided an opportunity to take on another challenge: fostering. Among other things, Richard worked with youth offenders and as a Scout leader, but since 2017 he has opened his home to unaccompanied asylum seeking children and local children in need.