Katy meets... Parallel Parents

By Katy O’Regan

For many people, fostering is something they have thought about, but never quite felt able to explore. Perhaps they assume they are too old, too young, too busy, too imperfect, or simply not the “right sort” of person. But as Rebecca from Parallel Parents explains, many of those assumptions are myths.

Parallel Parents began in 1994 as a family-run residential care company, founded by Sean and Ellen, who remain closely involved today. The organisation has since grown to include fostering, residential homes and schools, but Rebecca says its values remain rooted in family, relationships and a determination to stay “uncorporate”. Foster carers are treated as part of one wider family, supported by experienced social workers, hub carers and support workers.

The need for foster carers has never been greater. More than 81,000 children are currently in care across England, and around 54,000 rely on foster families for stability and support. Yet the number of fostering households has fallen to around 33,000—an 11% drop since 2021. Behind those statistics are thousands of children waiting for the security, consistency and sense of belonging that a foster home can provide.

Yet the barriers are not always what people imagine. You can foster if you work. You can foster if you are single. You can foster if you are LGBTQ+. You can foster if you have experienced mental health difficulties or challenges in your past, provided you are open, honest and able to demonstrate stability and resilience.

The essentials are simpler than many expect: a spare bedroom, the right to remain in the UK, being over 21, and having empathy. Experience with children helps, but so does patience, consistency and a willingness to learn.

The assessment process is thorough and can take around six months. It includes home visits, checks, references, training, medicals and panel approval. Rebecca is clear that it can feel intrusive, because fostering asks people to reflect deeply on their own childhood, relationships and life experiences. But that process exists to protect children and carers alike and ensure children are placed in safe, supportive homes.

Fostering can mean many things. Some carers offer long-term homes until a young person reaches adulthood. Others provide short-term, emergency or respite care. Whatever the arrangement, the impact can be life-changing.

For Rebecca, the reward is seeing a child flourish: a young person who has struggled in education gaining confidence, finding routine, leaving school with qualifications, or simply beginning to feel safe.

Foster children do not need perfect people. They need steady people. People who can offer compassion, patience, consistency and understanding. They need adults who can look beyond challenging behaviours and recognise the trauma and experiences that often sit behind them.

At a time when more children than ever need safe and supportive homes, fostering is not just about changing a child’s life—it can transform the lives of everyone involved. As Rebecca explains, the most successful foster carers are not superheroes. They are ordinary people who choose to open their homes and hearts to a child who needs stability, security and someone to believe in them.

With thousands of children across the UK still waiting for the right home, perhaps the greatest myth of all is that fostering is something someone else will do. For many families, the opportunity to make a lasting difference may be much closer than they think. Sometimes, all it takes is a spare room, a willingness to listen, and the compassion to give a child something every young person deserves: a place to belong.