You can be someone's rock - why teachers, teaching assistants, school staff and education professionals make brilliant foster carers
Explore how you can be someone's rock alongside or after your teaching or education role
As someone who works in education, you already support children through some of their toughest moments and you can use those same skills can change a child's life when you become a foster carer. Many people from an education background just like you choose to become someone's rock through fostering. When you foster with your local council, you can be there for a baby, child or young person when they need you most. There are so many ways you can make a difference with fostering options that work with your lifestyle. You also won't do it alone, with a team of support and welcoming fostering community, right where you live.
What foster carers from teaching and education professional backgrounds say about fostering
When you're considering a change it can really help to hear from the people who can share their perspectives and experience.
If you're thinking about fostering alongside your current role, foster carer Sharen is a teacher. Her and husband Lee started out as short term foster carers before transitioning to caring for the children they look after long term. Sharen shares how her experience as a teacher has helped:
It was a learning curve. Being a teacher did help, because I'm a massive advocate, obviously, for education, and know how important it is that if you get that right, that's a really, really good place to start.
I think children get stability from foster care. They get the opportunity to become the person that they should have been without the background that maybe they started from.
For me, it's about pushing them and encouraging them, because they can do anything. It doesn't matter that they are not biologically my children, I treat them like they are, and I have the same hopes and dreams for them as I would if they were my own.
I think we've become closer as a couple as a family, because we've got that shared investment in two young people that you know make a difference to our lives. It's not just one way. Sharen, teacher and long-term foster carer (became a short-term foster carer while teaching then moved to long-term care)
Short-term foster carer, Sarah, talks with sadness about leaving a job she loved as a nursery manager due to the impact of her previously undiagnosed Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (a rare condition that affects connective tissue) however, ultimately, not being able to continue in that career path led her to fostering, something she says works well for her and her young family.
"Foster care is my main role. My only role. My husband works part time in a local wholesaler, and my son who is six and a half is home educated. So, whatever we do, we do together. Everything is family oriented." Short term foster carer and former nursery manager (who made fostering her next step after leaving her nursery role)
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Foster alongside your education role or as your next step
Hundreds of council foster carers in the North East already foster alongside their existing roles. Many have education and safeguarding experience from teaching, teaching assistant, pastoral officer, nursery nurse and other school and education roles.
You don't need to give up the job you love to become a foster carer, though some education professionals looking for a new direction or heading for retirement do choose to make it their next step. If you'd like to explore flexible fostering, you could foster just for weekends or short time periods like a night or a few weeks through short break or emergency fostering.
Some foster carers also choose short term or long term fostering while continuing to work in their existing role alongside fostering with the help of a support network or by working part time in their existing role alongside fostering. The Foster with North East hub team can help you explore what your options are and what could work for you and the children you'll look after.
You be their care and support, and we'll be yours
- A dedicated local team who get to know you, your needs and your circumstances.
- Specialist ongoing training to prepare you and support your development.
- A competitive financial package recognising your time, skill and commitment.
- A fostering buddy scheme so you can speak with an experienced foster carer from day one.
- Mockingbird support groups the opportunity to join a family‑style network of carers who do activities and take trips together and support each other.
- A welcoming fostering community across all 12 North East councils.
You don't need to be full time to make a difference
You can foster flexibly to fit with your lifestyle and family. Many education staff foster around weekends, school holidays, or in ways that fit around the school year. You could also choose to do short term or long term fostering with the support of your network and local council team. We'll help you explore the types of fostering that fit your capacity.
Do I need qualifications or training to become a foster carer?
You don't need specific qualifications to become a foster carer. You already use essential characteristics we look for in foster carers every day in your education role. Your patience, consistency, understanding behaviour and experience supporting diverse needs, are exactly what children need.
You will also receive free pre-approval and ongoing specialist training to prepare you for the challenges of fostering and to help you develop in the role. There are opportunities to build new skills and explore important topics such as therapeutic care.
Can I foster while working in a school or early years setting?
Yes. Many of our foster carers work in education. We can help you explore types of fostering such as emergency or short break fostering around weekends, school holidays or explore how long-term fostering could work for you.
I already work with safeguarding or SEND, does that help?
Yes. Your insight into safeguarding, behaviour, communication and additional needs can be incredibly valuable for children who need stability and understanding. Teachers and teaching assistants with your background and experience often explore short break fostering.
Can I still foster if I live alone, rent or don't have children?
Yes. What matters is your ability to offer a safe, stable, caring home, not your living situation or family structure.
How long will it take for me to start fostering?
You could be approved as a foster carer in around 4-6 months, depending on your availability and the checks we need to complete. You'll be supported throughout by the Foster with North East team and your local council. We can also arrange for you to have a foster carer buddy, someone you can chat to about their own experiences.
You can be someone's rock alongside your current role or as your next step
Your fostering hub team is here to answer any questions you might have about foster care. We can guide you through the different types of fostering, match you up with a buddy, answer questions about fostering finances and when you're ready to apply, we will be on hand to guide you through the process and check in with you regularly so you know what to expect and when. You be their care and support and we'll be yours. Call 0800 771 771 or enquire online now, and we'll get back to you.
Get your questions answered, speak to our team about fostering alongside your education role or as your next step.
