Celebrating the Children Who Foster: The Heart of Our Fostering Families
Children of Foster Carers' Week | 12–18 October 2026
When we talk about fostering, we often focus on the incredible difference foster carers make to the lives of children and young people. But behind every fostering family are other important people whose contributions deserve just as much recognition: the children who foster.
This October, Three Circles Fostering is proud to support The Fostering Network’s Children of Foster Carers' Week, a national celebration recognising the vital role that birth and adopted children play in fostering families.
It's an opportunity to say a huge thank you to the children and young people who share their homes, families, time and experiences with children who need somewhere safe to belong.
Fostering Is a Whole-Family Experience
When a family decides to foster, everyone in the household becomes part of that journey.
For children who foster, this can mean welcoming someone new into their home, sharing their favourite spaces, building new friendships and helping another young person feel included.
Sometimes, it's the smallest things that make the biggest difference. A friendly face on the first day, an invitation to play a game, sharing a joke at the dinner table or simply being someone of a similar age who understands what it's like to be a child.
These everyday moments can help children coming into foster care feel welcome, accepted and part of family life.
But we also recognise that fostering isn't always straightforward for the children already living in the home.
There can be changes to routines, difficult emotions, uncertainty and, sometimes, goodbyes to children they've grown close to. Children who foster may have questions, worries or feelings they find difficult to express.
That's why, at Three Circles Fostering, we believe supporting the whole fostering family is essential.
Children who foster deserve to feel listened to, included and valued in their own right.
How We Support Children Who Foster at Three Circles
Our Youth Engagement Team works with children and young people across our fostering community, creating opportunities to build friendships, develop confidence, share their experiences and have fun.
We want children who foster to know that they are an important part of Three Circles and that their experiences matter.
Connect: Friendships, Activities and Shared Experiences
Our Connect programme brings young people together through regular activities and shared experiences across the North West and Yorkshire.
Children who foster are welcomed into our wider engagement community, giving them opportunities to spend time with other young people who understand what it's like to grow up in a fostering family.
From climbing, outdoor adventures and creative workshops to group activities and residential experiences, Connect is about building relationships, having fun and creating positive memories.
These activities provide opportunities to develop confidence, teamwork and new skills, while also helping children who foster feel connected to a wider community.
Catalyst: Making Sure Their Voices Are Heard
Children who foster have their own perspectives, experiences and ideas about fostering, and we want those voices to help shape what we do.
Our digital youth council, Catalyst, provides a space for young people to share their wishes and feelings, contribute ideas and influence decisions within Three Circles.
Children who foster are included in our engagement and consultation opportunities, ensuring their experiences are represented alongside those of children in care.
Through Catalyst, young people can contribute to the development of our services, help shape future activities and tell us what matters to them.
We believe meaningful participation means more than simply asking children what they think. It means listening, acting on their feedback and showing them how their contributions have made a difference.
Recognition Through AQA Awards
We also recognise the achievements of young people through our AQA Unit Award Scheme.
Our engagement activities provide opportunities to work towards certificates that celebrate participation, learning and the development of new skills.
Whether a young person has developed their confidence, tried something new, contributed to a group project or demonstrated practical skills, we want their efforts to be recognised.
For children who foster, this is another way of celebrating their individual achievements and ensuring they feel valued as members of our wider fostering community.
Family Events and Creating Memories Together
Our family events bring fostering households together to enjoy experiences outside everyday routines.
From summer family days and outdoor adventures to Christmas celebrations, these opportunities are designed to include the whole family.
For children who foster, they provide opportunities to meet others who share similar experiences, strengthen friendships and enjoy activities where everyone belongs.
We know how important it is that children who foster have opportunities to simply be children — to have fun, make memories and enjoy themselves without feeling they have to take responsibility for anyone else.
Listening to the Children Who Foster
Perhaps one of the most important things we can do is recognise that every child experiences fostering differently.
Some children love welcoming new people into their family. Others may find aspects of fostering challenging. Many experience a mixture of feelings, and those feelings can change over time.
All of these experiences are valid.
At Three Circles, we want children who foster to feel comfortable sharing their thoughts, whether that's through engagement activities, consultation opportunities or conversations with our team.
Their views help us better understand what family life feels like for them and how we can continue improving the support we offer.
Our message is simple: your feelings matter, your experiences matter, and you are just as much a part of our fostering community.
A Huge Thank You to Our Children Who Foster
This Children of Foster Carers' Week, we want to celebrate every child and young person who is part of a fostering family at Three Circles.
Thank you for the kindness you show, the friendships you build, the memories you help create and the everyday ways you contribute to making your home somewhere another child can feel welcome.
We also recognise the times when fostering might feel challenging, when family life changes unexpectedly or when saying goodbye is difficult.
You don't have to find fostering easy all the time to make a valuable contribution.
You deserve support, opportunities and recognition in your own right.
Because fostering is about more than opening your home. It's about the relationships, connections and sense of belonging that develop within it.
And children who foster are an incredibly important part of that story.
From all of us at Three Circles Fostering — thank you for everything you bring to our fostering community.
Want to find out more?
If your family fosters with Three Circles and your child would like to get involved in Connect, Catalyst or our wider engagement activities, please get in touch with our Youth Engagement Team.
We would love to hear from you and help your child become part of our growing engagement community.
You can also find out more about the national campaign and how to get involved through The Fostering Network's Children of Foster Carers' Week