Welcome to Banya

What is fostering?

  • Children need to have time away from their own families for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes it is a short term problem, such as a parent’s stay in hospital, and sometimes a longer term change in family structure. There is also a growing need to care for children arriving in this country unaccompanied, and foster carers are found at very short notice to look after them.
  • Fostering is often a way of keeping families together. Reducing pressures at home for a period of time can result in children being able to return to a stable family environment, and this is the best outcome for all concerned.
  • Fostering is not a step towards adoption. We are finding stable and welcoming homes for children in all types of short and long term circumstances.
  • We aim to provide whatever is in the best interests of each particular child or young person

How does it work?

  • Local Authorities are responsible for finding foster carers for children in their area, and they look for the carer who is going to provide the best fit with each child’s individual requirements. They consider things like language, presence of other children, proximity to the child’s school and many other factors.
  • Foster carers are self employed people from all walks of life. They will work either with a Local Authority or with an independent fostering agency, and they have to be fully assessed and trained to make sure they are suitable for the job.
  • Fostering agencies are independent and work with Local Authorities. Their job is to make sure that children are properly looked after in their foster home, and that the foster carers are properly trained and supported in this very demanding job.
  • Banya was recognized in its last Ofsted inspection Report as "good" in all categories.