Faith-based vs mainstream fostering: what’s the difference?

Careful matching

At ACS, we specialise in faith-based and cultural matching. What does this mean? It means that when we receive a referral from the local authority, we are experts in matching these children with foster families who understand their backgrounds, speak their language, and know how to nurture their faith.

For example, if a Muslim child is referred to us, we’ll try our very best to match them with Muslim foster parents, who can continue helping them learn about their religion while they’re in care. Again, if a Christian child needs a home, wherever possible, we’ll match them with a Christian family.

This provides children with continuity and familiarity as they begin this new chapter of their lives, bringing them comfort while they try to make sense of their circumstances.

If we can’t match children with foster families who share their religion or culture, we’ll match them with a family who’s willing to learn about their needs and provide specialist training to support them.

Culturally specific training

What makes ACS stand out as a faith-based fostering agency is our training, which helps you nurture the culturally specific needs of children and young people.

This means that if we can’t match a child with a foster family who shares their religion or culture, their foster families will still know how to meet their needs.

Whether it’s learning how to care for their hair and skin, how to prepare food, or navigating prejudice, you’ll have the knowledge and skills to care for children from a wide range of backgrounds.

You’ll also receive trauma-informed training and have access to our online library of resources that’s always expanding, so your learning never stops, and you can meet children’s changing needs as they grow.

Faith-based networks of support

When you foster with ACS, you join an agency that understands the importance of being part of a faith-based community.

That’s why we’ve worked hard to build strong connections with local mosques, synagogues, churches, and other key community groups, who’ll offer a faith-based network of support. This is not something typically offered by mainstream fostering agencies.

We also organise regular support groups and meet-ups, where you can connect with other foster parents. This can be particularly helpful if you foster a child who doesn’t share your religion or culture, as you’ll be able to gain insight, advice, and guidance from foster parents who do.

Multilingual team

Another great thing about ACS is that we recognise that English is not everyone’s first language, and it doesn’t have to be for you to be a great foster parent.

From Urdu, Punjabi, and Mirpuri to Turkish and Korean, our team comes from diverse backgrounds, collectively speaking several languages.

Knowing a language other than English can be hugely beneficial for sanctuary-seeking children, who’ve had no choice but to flee their home country to find safety in the UK. Some might understand a few English phrases, whereas others might not know any at all.

These children are often referred to us because we have the specialist skills and knowledge to match them with the right foster families. This means that if you foster with us, you could be providing a child who’s had no choice but to make the journey to the UK alone with a safe and loving home where they can rebuild their lives.

Generous fostering allowances

We know that money isn’t the main motivation for you to become a foster parent. However, welcoming a child into your home, nurturing their faith or culture, and helping them build a brighter future takes money, time and dedication.

That’s why when you foster with us, you’ll receive a generous fostering allowance that not only covers the expenses of raising a child, but also rewards you for your commitment to the role. What’s more, due to qualifying care relief, a special tax rule for foster parents, you’ll likely pay little to no tax on your fostering payments.

You’ll also benefit from additional perks, such as a summer and winter bonus payment each year, 14 nights of paid respite care, and access to our foster parent rewards platform, where you can receive hundreds of discounts.