Our Blog
A national call for foster carers and why it starts at home in the East Midlands…
This week, the government launched England’s first ever national campaign to recruit foster carers. Children’s Minister, Josh MacAlister, marked the launch at 10 Downing Street on 13 October, alongside foster carers, social workers and people who grew up in care.
The message is simple. All kinds of people can foster.
We couldn’t agree more.
Fostering with your own children: What it means for your whole family.
What about my kids?
It’s one of the first questions people ask us, and it’s a good one. If you’re a parent thinking about fostering, your own children are probably at the front of your mind. Will they cope? Will they feel pushed out? Is it fair to ask them to share their home, and you?
Here’s the honest answer. Fostering changes family life for everyone, birth children included. For lots of families, it changes it for the better.
Hope Fostering Services Nottingham: Annual General Meeting, 2026
On Tuesday 30th June, the whole Hope community came together for our Annual General Meeting at the Mercure Hotel in Sherwood, Nottingham. And what a special day it was! As an independent fostering agency supporting foster carers across Nottingham, Derby and the wider...
What is a fostering medical and why does it matter?
If you are thinking about becoming a foster carer with Hope, you’ll come across the term ‘fostering medical’ fairly early in the process. It can sound a bit clinical, but it’s actually a straightforward part of getting approved, and it exists for a good reason.
LGBTQ+ Foster Carers in Nottingham
June is Pride Month. A time to celebrate love, diversity, and the joy of being exactly who you are. At Hope Fostering Services, we believe those values sit at the very heart of fostering.
There is no single type of foster family. People from all walks of life, all backgrounds, all family structures… they all have something incredible to offer a young person who needs stability, care, and patience.
Foster Care Fortnight 2026: This is Fostering
Foster Care Fortnight 2026 is here, and this year’s theme, ‘This is Fostering’, feels particularly important.
At Hope Fostering Services, we know that fostering is never just one thing. It is the everyday moments, the big emotions, the school runs, the laughter, the difficult days, the proud milestones and the feeling of knowing you are making a genuine difference to a young person’s life.
Stars of Children and Young People Awards 2026
The ‘Stars of Children and Young People Awards’ is ‘a glittering annual event for the stars in the care of children and young people’. We are thrilled that two of our amazing foster parents have been shortlisted as finalists. The Awards Ceremony is held in Manchester, mid-May.
We believe that Kate and Linda deserve this this award in recognition of their exceptional and deeply compassionate contributions to fostering. They are highly experienced, profoundly committed, and firmly child-centred carers who, over many years, have transformed the lives of more than 100 children and young people.
Could this be the right time to become a foster carer in Nottingham?
If fostering has ever crossed your mind, even briefly, it’s worth exploring. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering whether you could do something more meaningful with your time, your skills, or even that spare room, then fostering might be closer to home than you think.
Across the UK, thousands of children need safe, stable homes. And right here in Nottingham and Derby, some young people need someone local. You could be their someone who understands their community, their schools, their world.
The train now departing – a short story about fostering
Andrew Stephen is an author. He is a retired teacher and spent many years as a panel member working for Hope Fostering Services. He now resides in Norfolk, where he enjoys writing, walking, and a slower pace of life. Andrew was kind enough to send us a short story to share on our website. This story is based on his own father, born in 1938.