1. Child welfare
The child’s welfare, safety and needs are at the centre of their care.

2. Enjoyable childhood and positive outcomes
Children should have an enjoyable childhood, benefiting from excellent parenting and education and enjoying a wide range of opportunities to develop their talents and skills, leading to a successful adult life.

3. Loving environment
Children are entitled to grow up in a loving environment that can meet their developmental needs – we aim to ensure that this is possible and help foster carers achieve this together

4. Being listened to
Every child should have his or her wishes and feelings listened to and considered in decisions made about them.

5. Importance of relationships
The child’s relationship with their foster carer is of the utmost importance, and foster carers should be recognised as core members of the team working with the child.

Maintaining relationships with birth parents and the wider family, including siblings, half-siblings and grandparents, is recognised as a significant part of the foster carer’s role in supporting positive family relationships while providing support to identity for fostered children.