Fostering unaccompanied asylum seeking children

When there is a refugee crisis, as there currently is, people in war-torn countries, and people who live in areas where they have little or no protection from harassment or persecution because of their religion, race, political beliefs, social group, or nationality, can make the decision to seek asylum elsewhere. Some young people are removed from their home countries by friends and families desperately seeking shelter and protection.

The young people

Unaccompanied asylum seeking children come with a wide range of life experiences, some that we will really never know. They range in age from 10 to 17 years and from a number of Middle Eastern, South East Asian and Eastern European countries. They are often forced to leave their parents and family members behind. The terror of living in a place where they were under attack and living in fear of death might have been part of their daily lives.

An extra stress factor for these children is that their families are not safe and they have no way of knowing if they will ever see their parents and siblings again.

They are looking for a safe, secure and caring environment which will support them to enter education, engage in community activities, assist with the asylum claim and support their journey of repair.

What we need

We urgently nurturing and caring people who can become foster carers and supported lodgings carers. This means having a spare room available in your home. And you need to be available for professional meetings and appointments important for the young person, and have a good level of written and spoken English.

The level of support needed by a child will vary and we will carefully consider this when approaching you to care for a child.

What we offer

You will have a dedicated social worker, who supports you along the way. You will have considerable training opportunities and training focused on unaccompanied asylum seeking children, and the support of your fellow carers.

AfC also provides a strong financial package that takes into account your efforts as well as the needs of the child.

The background

Since 2021 the government requires all local authorities to look after a number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children, set as a proportion of their overall number of children looked after. This has meant an increase in the number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children we are required to take in.

Get in touch

Interested in fostering? Get in touch with us.