Helping fostered children to learn english

Some children in foster care require specific support in developing their English language skills: This invariably includes unaccompanied asylum seeking children who haven’t had the opportunity to learn English, but this also includes children who have suffered neglect or have learning difficulties.

The foster carer’s social worker and the ‘team around the child’ support the foster carer in such situations to help the child reach their potential. All foster carers are expected to have a ‘growth mindset’, which means that they must be willing to learn new information and develop skills to help every child who comes to live with them. This also includes being able to support children with developing their language skills.