About The Hazel Project Medway Kent
Recruitment of Foster Parents Policy
This policy outlines our values and approach to recruiting foster parents. It reflects our recognition of the complexity and importance of fostering and sets out our commitment to identifying, assessing, and supporting individuals and families equipped for this role.
For detailed procedures, please refer to our New Family Assessment Process and Transfer Family Assessment Process.
Foster parents are key partners in a collaborative effort to safeguard and support children and young people. They work as part of a multi-disciplinary network, contributing to outcomes through consistent, caring, and skilled engagement.
Foster parenting can be emotionally demanding work. It requires resilience, empathy, structure, and the capacity to build and maintain healthy, boundaried relationships – most often with children who have experienced trauma, loss, or neglect.
We recognise foster parents as professional colleagues and treat them with the same respect, transparency, and support expected in any complex care setting.
We aim to recruit individuals and families who can offer safe, nurturing environments where children can stabilise, grow, and thrive.
We look for people who can:
Build warm, compassionate, and structured relationships with children and young people
Understand and respond to emotional and behavioural challenges with empathy and consistency
We provide foster families with the skills that they need to carry out their responsibilities.
We actively listen to the views of children, young people, children’s families, foster parents, foster parents’ own children, and our staff, when planning and carrying out all of our activities.
We deliver services that recognise and build on the strengths of children and young people from all cultures and religious backgrounds, in ways that meet their needs, helping them achieve their full potential.
Reflect on their own experiences and engage with supervision and support
Hold hope and high aspirations for every child in their care
We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not judge suitability for fostering based on:
Age
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Marital or relationship status
Ethnicity or cultural background
Nationality (subject to legal right to work and remain)
Educational background
Parental status
Housing status
Income level
Literacy skills
There is no single profile of a successful foster parent. What matters most is relational capacity, emotional maturity, and a stable and safe home environment.
In recruiting and supporting foster parents, we commit to:
A clear, transparent, and respectful assessment process
Prompt communication and guidance at every stage
Ongoing training and development opportunities
A responsive support system once approved
A culture of mutual respect between foster parents and professionals
Recognition of the unique challenges and contributions of fostering households
In conclusion, foster parenting is both a personal and professional undertaking. It requires sustained commitment, emotional insight, and the ability to hold complexity. We seek foster parents who can provide the safe, steady, and caring presence that children and young people need—people who can support recovery, nurture growth, and contribute meaningfully to the wider system of care.
With a shortage of 6500 foster families across the UK, and record numbers of children entering the care system, we have never needed new families more.
If you are interested in fostering