Our foster carers
Parents for Children offers a specialist fostering and short-breaks service to local authorities. Our carers are specially recruited and highly skilled. Our short-term fostering carers live in London, the immediate Home Counties and Northamptonshire. Carers offering permanent foster care places and respite carers can be based anywhere in the UK.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of all of Parents for Children's foster carers, but it will give you a representative sample of the families we work with.
Profiles of some of our carers
Sharon & Mohammed L - short term foster carers available
Sharon is of Black African Caribbean heritage and Mohammed is of Morroccan heritage. They have 4 birth children - 3 sons aged 20, 16 and 12 and a daughter aged 7. The oldest son lives independently. The family resides in a 5 bedroom house near Enfield, North London. Both Mohammed and Sharon drive and the family run 2 cars. The family are Muslim and purchase meat from a Halal butcher but do not currently attend organised religious activities.
The family are available to look after 1 child (2 siblings who could share a room) of either gender from 4 to 11 years of age.
You can download a copy of Sharon & Mohammed's profile here
Edom & Petros - short term foster carers available 
Edom and Petros are a warm and engaging couple who are of Eritrean origin. They live in North London and their home is close to local parks, public transport and all local amenities. They have two birth children who live at home Rim aged 13 and Danite aged 8.
As a family they provide security and stability where individual needs are respected and catered for. Children are given a sense of belonging from the earlies point of the placement. The family offer a nurturing environment where children are encouraged to reach their potential, even if the placement is for a short time.
Edom and Petros are child centred and are particularly skilled at moving children on to permanency. They are experienced in caring for children from different ethnic backgrounds and recently supported a child's move to permanency after two and half years in the placement.
Petros works full time as a Social Work Assistant and is currently studying towards his Social Work qualification. Edom is presently studying part time towards an NVQ qualification in fostering, although she remains the primary carer for the children.
The family are available to look after 2 children of either gender from 2 to 11 years of age.
You can download a copy of Edom & Petros' profile here
Margaret & John H – Short-term foster/respite carers
John and Margaret are a white British couple who have fostered for over 20 years – originally for a Local Authority before coming to Parents for Children 11 years ago. During this time, they have accumulated a wide range of experience of fostering children from all age groups, including a mother and baby.
The family lives in a 5-bedroomed house, with 2 bathrooms, about 3 miles outside Gravesend. The house is comfortable, spacious and welcoming and close to local schools and shops. The whole family has shared fostering, including the couple’s two sons who are now adults and live independently.
Mr and Mrs H work as a team. They have a personal Christian faith and both accept and enjoy children of different backgrounds. They promote contact between foster children and their birth families and have particular skills in this area of work. They are also very skilled at preparing and supporting children as they move on to permanence.
What they can offer
- Short-term placement for one or two children between 0-8 years of age of either gender
- Extensive experience of fostering children from all age groups
- A whole family approach to fostering
- Skilled at preparing and supporting children as they move on to permanence
You can download a copy of Margaret and John's profile here
Eunice and John - short-term foster carers
Eunice and John are an Afro-Caribbean couple, with three birth children aged 17, 13 and 11. The family live in a large 5-bedroomed property situated in a thriving multicultural area of North London, with a wide range of amenities such as schools, GPs, hospitals and a variety of leisure facilities. They have a good support network. Eunice is a housewife and full time carer while John works full time as duty site manager.
Eunice and John are practising Roman Catholic but they have experience in caring for children from different ethnicity and religious background. They are a warm and engaging couple who are deeply interested in the welfare of children and proactive in supporting them in extra-curricular activities. Both of them drive and each has their own car.
What they can offer:
- Availability for one child of either gender, age range 4-7
- Many years of experience in working with looked after children
- A good support network
- Experience in working with a range of individuals from varying racial and cultural background
- A child-centred approach and family orientated
- Involved with special projects assisting children of primary school age
You can download a copy of Eunice and John's profile here
Olivia and Mark K – respite carers
Olivia and Mark are a young energetic couple who have one son of their own, aged 1½ years. Most of their extended family have been providing foster care over a number of years and the couple have provided respite for some of the children placed in their extended family’s care.
Olivia and Mark live in Enfield, Middlesex, and have a 3-bedroomed semi-detached house with a rear garden. There are many clubs, activities and leisure facilities in the area and it is well serviced by the public transport system. Olivia is currently at home full time with her young son. She enjoys music, swimming and socialising with family and friends. She likes to go walking at the weekend and is very much family orientated. Mark is employed locally and works for a major blue chip company. He enjoys bike rides, craft model making and socialising.
What can they offer?
- Respite care for one child aged between 4-10 years old
- Extensive family experience of working with emotionally-damaged children
You can download a copy of Olivia and Mark's profile here
Liv – sessional support worker/respite carer with availability
Liv is a mature and very experienced support worker. She lives in Tideswell in Derbyshire and will travel to carers' homes to provide support. Liv is an active grandmother to seven children and most of her work and life has been looking after people, in one capacity or another, from babies to centenarians from many backgrounds, cultures and abilities.
Liv has worked for local authorities as a child-minder, foster carer and on housing support issues. She has also worked as a teaching assistant working with one child with behaviour problems and one with hearing impairment on a one to one basis. Liv has basic signing skills that she feels help communications and can be a useful tool when working with children. Liv has been involved with after school schemes, playgroups and did a spell with two very difficult small children on a residential basis.
Liv helps with Sunday school and a drama group, going into local schools to take part in assemblies. Liv regularly babysits for friends and family and thoroughly enjoys playing with children at different levels, from playing in the sandpit to working on the computer. She particularly enjoys reading to and listening to children and their stories. Liv can easily adjust to playing with any child at any level without losing sight of her responsibilities as an adult caring for children.
Liv is approved for a maximum of three children aged 0-16 as a fostering support worker, occasionally staying overnight in the child's home.
You can download a copy of Liv's profile here