When will babies be taken into care? 

Newborns and small babies will be taken into care under certain circumstances, some of the most common circumstances are: 

• A child who has been born to a mother who has previously had children removed for child protection reasons
• If the baby has been given up for adoption by the birth parents, meaning there is a period between the baby being given up and adoptive parents stepping in where the child needs care 
• The birth parent has known drug or alcohol related problems that will prevent them from providing full and adequate care for the child and a court has requested an assessment of their ability to look after the child.
  

Can I foster a baby? 

The prospect of fostering a baby is very desirable for many new and prospective foster parents, therefore there tends to be a much higher demand when it comes to fostering babies. This could be because babies are less likely to have picked up challenging behaviour traits or have developed trauma through past experiences. However, caring for a baby is a full-time job and will require your complete time and dedication. When caring for an older child, you will have some spare time while they are at school to catch up on chores or work, fostering a baby will require all of your time. 

Of course, you also need to consider how difficult it will be to give up the baby when more permanent arrangements have been made for them. At Fusion we recognise some of the emotional challenges it can place upon a foster carer as it is difficult to part with any child that you have cared for, but as babies are entirely dependent on you, the bond that will have formed will be strong. This is why, as an agency, we generally would not approve carers to just look after children under the age of 5 years old. Looking after babies as a foster carer is  a more specialist role such as; parent and child fostering or child with complex health and or disabilities care. Therefore carers require high levels of specialist training, understanding, and support to meet the needs of each child.