Fostering & Adoption East Lothian

09/04/2026

We’re pleased to share an important update about the East Lothian Kinship Support Service.

From April this year, the service will be delivered by Adoption UK Scotland as part of our wider Kinship Services. The support you receive will continue with advice, information, community-based groups, family events, and learning opportunities.

We’re delighted that the current staff team will remain involved in delivering the service, alongside some new team members who will be joining us to support kinship families across East Lothian.

To stay up to date with plans, events, and opportunities, you can:
• Join our mailing list by emailing: [email protected]
• Contact our Information and Support Line: 0333 666 0006 - Monday to Friday, 10:00–14:30, excluding bank holidays)

More information, including a full calendar of events, will be available soon. In the meantime, we encourage you to continue attending our regular Kinship Care Community Groups in Musselburgh and Dunbar.

01/04/2026

23/03/2026

Why does trauma-informed care matter? For some of our young people, trauma-aware fostering isn’t optional - it’s essential. Your ability to stay calm, reflect, read behaviour, and offer consistency can stop a child moving into residential care.

We are looking for people with a range of experience to become foster carers. We need committed, reliable and predictable foster carers to support our children. Could this be you?

19/03/2026

Trauma doesn’t always look the way people expect.
For some children it means:
💛 Finding it hard to trust
💛 Being unsure how to ask for help
💛 Feeling overwhelmed
💛 Needing patience, reassurance, and time

If you’ve supported children through tricky emotions and complex behaviours before - fostering might be your next step.

17/03/2026

Thinking about fostering? Our next Skills to Foster course is coming up in April and it’s the perfect first step. Skills to Foster is the introductory training completed by all new fostering applicants.

It helps you explore what fostering involves, understand the needs of children, and decide whether fostering is right for you.
You’ll learn about:
✔ What children need from foster carers
✔ Building relationships
✔ Safer caring
✔ Working with others
✔ Supporting identity
✔ Understanding behaviours

It’s friendly, welcoming, and designed to support you -no prior experience needed.
You’ll also meet members of the fostering team and hear real‑life insights from experienced carers.

If fostering has been on your mind, this course is the perfect place to start your journey.

15/03/2026

Happy Mother’s Day to all the incredible mums, foster mums, kinship carers, adoptive mums, grandmothers, and every woman who provides love, guidance and stability to children in East Lothian. 💛

Today we celebrate the big moments, the quiet moments, and everything in between - the school runs, the bedtime stories, the listening ear, the patience, the reassurance, the laughter and the love.

To our foster carers, adopters and kinship carers:
Thank you for opening your hearts and homes.
You make a life‑changing difference every single day.

09/03/2026

Some of our young people in East Lothian have experienced significant trauma - and they need carers who understand how trauma shapes behaviour, trust, and relationships.

If you’ve worked in:
✨ Residential childcare
✨ Social care
✨ Mental health
✨ Education/ASN
✨ Youth justice
✨ Support work

…your experience could be life‑changing for a young person who deserves a safe, skilled, and understanding home.

If you’ve ever thought about fostering, this might be your moment to step forward.
📩 Send us a message for an informal chat.

05/03/2026

Sometimes the biggest difference in a child’s life starts with one conversation. If you’ve ever thought about fostering - even just a little - we’d love to chat.

No pressure. No commitment.

Just information, reassurance, and a friendly team here in East Lothian.

Get in touch to get started.

11/02/2026

This week, we had several young people attend a Fixing for a Future session. They managed to make a book, a lined zipped purse, and pin cushions.

It was lovely to see how hard everyone worked on their projects. Many were new to sewing, something you would not have known. All showed real patience and determination. They were able to follow instructions, accept support, and ask for help when needed. We particularly enjoyed seeing the creativity on display through their choice of fabrics and embellishments - real talent for design. The workshop gave them an opportunity to showcase talents that might have gone unseen. Most importantly, it gave them the chance to relax and have fun.

19/01/2026

We hear this a lot - often from people who would make brilliant foster carers.

There’s no such thing as a “typical” foster carer. People foster as singles, couples, parents, non-parents, renters, homeowners, and at many different stages of life.

If you’ve ever wondered whether fostering could be an option for you, we’re always happy to have an informal chat - no pressure, no expectations.

15/01/2026

Thinking about fostering or adoption this year?

January is often when people start exploring new ideas and possibilities. If fostering has ever crossed your mind, you don’t need to have all the answers.

An informal conversation is often the first step - just a chance to ask questions and find out more.

📩 Get in touch or visit our website to learn more: https://www.eastlothian.gov.uk/info/210706/fostering_adoption_and_looked_after_children

13/01/2026

To our foster carers, kinship carers and adopters - thank you.

January can be a quiet, reflective time, and we just want to say how much your care, patience and commitment means to the children and young people you support.

The everyday moments matter more than you know.