Fostering Unaccompanied Children

🧳 Who Are Unaccompanied Children?

Unaccompanied children are young people who have arrived in the UK without a parent or guardian. They may be:

• Asylum seekers fleeing persecution, war, or violence
• Refugees resettled here for protection
• Migrant children who have been separated from family along the way
• Survivors of trafficking or exploitation
  

Every journey is different. Some children have crossed continents; others have spent months in unsafe camps or detention. Many carry stories no child should have to hold.

Your role is not to fix these stories — but to become a chapter of safety and stability in the next one.

💔 What Unaccompanied Children Might Carry

Many of these young people have experienced:

• War, torture or family loss
  
• Abuse or neglect — either at home or during their journey
• Trauma from trafficking or exploitation
  
• Culture shock on arrival to the UK
• Separation grief from family, community, language, and faith

They may arrive with no English, no documents, and no certainty about whether they’ll be allowed to stay.

Above all, they need someone who can meet them with empathy instead of fear, structure instead of chaos, and understanding instead of judgement.

🛠️ What They Need from Foster Carers

Unaccompanied children need the same essentials all foster children do: safety, trust, and care. But they also need foster carers who are:

• Culturally curious, open to different ways of life
• Emotionally resilient, able to hold trauma without personalising it
• Patient and consistent, offering structure when the world feels uncertain
• Supportive of identity, helping them stay connected to their language, religion and traditions

They may also need help with:

• Learning English and accessing education
• Navigating immigration processes
  
• Processing trauma and grief, often with the help of therapy
• Meeting others from similar backgrounds
  
• Understanding UK culture and systems, from school to the NHS

You don’t need to know how to do all this right away — we’ll teach you. What matters most is your willingness to show up, slow down, and see the child beneath the label.

🌱 The Transformation — Theirs and Yours

Fostering an unaccompanied child can feel like stepping into the unknown. But it’s also one of the most powerful and profound ways to make a difference.

You might be the first safe adult they’ve had in a long time — or ever.

You might be the person who helps them:

• Go to school for the first time in years
• Laugh without fear
• Speak a new language with confidence
• Feel safe practising their faith
• Dream again about their future

You won't be able to change their past — but you can help shape what comes next.

🤝 You Won’t Do It Alone

This type of fostering comes with extra complexity. That’s why it also comes with extra support.

At Wholistic Fostering, we provide:

• Specialist training on trauma, cultural sensitivity, and language barriers
• A dedicated Supervising Social Worker
  
• Access to 24/7 support and advice
  
• Connection to a community of carers with lived experience
• Guidance through the asylum and immigration process
  
• Enhanced fostering allowance to reflect the complexity of the role

You bring the commitment. We bring the wraparound support to make it sustainable.

📋 Could You Foster an Unaccompanied Child?

You don’t need to speak multiple languages. You don’t need to be a therapist or an immigration expert.

You need to be:

• Open-hearted and non-judgemental
• Emotionally available and steady under pressure
• Willing to learn — and unlearn
• A stable presence in a chaotic moment

Whether you're new to fostering or already experienced, we’ll support you to understand, connect, and care well.

💬 FAQs: Fostering Unaccompanied Children

Do I need to share the same culture or religion?
Not at all. What matters most is your willingness to respect and support the child’s identity.

What if we don’t speak the same language?
We’ll help with translation support and strategies for non-verbal communication — and children often pick up English surprisingly fast when they feel safe.

Will I be expected to support their asylum application?
No, but you will be part of the team supporting them through it. We’ll guide you on what to expect.

Can unaccompanied children stay after age 18?
Yes — many remain with their foster carers under the Staying Put programme, if it’s right for everyone involved.

🌟 Could You Be the Safe Harbour They Need?

Fostering an unaccompanied child means offering calm in the storm — a space where a young person can finally breathe, belong, and begin to heal.

You don’t have to know everything. You just need to care enough to begin.

👉 Enquire now — and take the first step toward becoming part of a young person’s journey to safety, identity, and hope.