There is a lot of misinformation regarding fostering, so here we provide answers to questions you might have about foster care.
If you don’t find the information you are looking for, get in touch here and we will be more than happy answer your question.
The three main things you need to apply to foster are:
A spare bedroom is usually the most common reason people cannot foster but otherwise there really are very few barriers to fostering. We accept foster carers from any background regardless of your sexuality, relationship status, ethnicity, religion, gender and you do not need to own your own home either.
Having your own children, pets, a criminal record or being retired also will not stop you from fostering as long as it does not affect your ability to provide a safe, loving and nurturing environment for children in care.
You need to be committed to caring for a child and be flexible to meet their needs, so while in certain circumstances foster carers can continue working, the job they do has to be flexible so that they can attend training, meetings, write reports and attend appointments for the children in your care.
You also need to have a stable home environment, so for example we typically ask that if you are in a relationship, that you have been together for at least two years. If you are planning on moving, you can start the process of becoming a carer, but we will not place a child with you until you are stable in your new home.
GET IN TOUCHAbsolutely, we know that different age groups or genders will suit some households betters than others, and ultimately we want our placements for children to work. And that means being matched properly to your family.
In the early days of your assessment we will talk through every aspect of fostering to help you come to a decision about what type or age of child would suit you best. It can be for as simple as a reason that you are more comfortable with younger children or sibling groups, and you can change your approval to widen the type of children you look after as you gain more confidence as a foster carer.
GET IN TOUCHWhen a child cannot stay with their birth parents or current guardian, which can be for a variety of reasons, they come into foster care.
What we do is recruit, train and support foster carers. The process starts with us receiving a referral from a local authority for a child who needs to be placed in foster care, we will then contact suitable, available carers to offer them the referral and if they accept we will accept the referral from the local authority.
Sometimes it can be planned so the child gets to meet their new foster family. Once placed in your home we provide you an allowance and support so that you can look after them for as long as they need foster care.
Throughout all of our work we always keep foster carers informed as they are fellow professionals,supporting them to do their jobs of carnig for the children in their home.
GET IN TOUCHWe offer 24-hour support every day of the year so you can phone a social worker whenever you need guidance or support. We also have a Support Staff Team who can provide transport, a creche, be a contact supervisor and more.
As an approved carer you would have attended the three day, Skills to Foster training. In your first year working as a carer you will have a fostering mentor and dedicated supervising social worker who can provide advice during your first placements.
This is only a snippet of what we do to help our carers, to find out more about the support we offer click here and to find out more about the training you receive click here.
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We offer a generous allowance to our foster carers to help support them financially as they foster.
You will receive at a minimum £440 per week per child to help cover the cost of caring for a child as well as payment for your work, and you also will get 14 days of paid respite whenever you need time to yourself.
Foster carers get certain financial benefits too like tax relief and a you can sign up for a Blue Light Card that offers discounts for almost anything you want to purchase. If you are eligible, you can still receive benefits on top of your fostering allowance.
To find out more about the financial side of fostering click here.
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There are a lot of fostering agencies out there you can foster with, so why pick us?
What makes us different and unique is that we are an independent, local agency who is not part of a larger care group or multi-national organisation. We have been independent since 1996 when we were founded and we still have managed to retain a significant amount of the original team, many of which have been in a fostering family themselves.
Whenever you phone us you will also be met by a voice you recognise, so we can quickly respond to whatever concern you may have.
We value and celebrate differences and diversity so no matter your background you will be welcome here. We are based in Kent but we do have access to local training courses and support groups for our carers in London as well.
At a minimum (although we typically do much more!) we host six annual free events for our carers to help provide days out and life skills for their children. By creating lasting memories and a sense of community with our carers, we think it makes the fun side of fostering even better.
Choosing the right agency or local authority is essential to making fostering work for you, and we hope you will consider us when you decide to move forward with fostering.
GET IN TOUCHThe first step is to simply get in contact with us! Whenever that’s through a phone call, email or by messaging us on our socials, by having a short initial conversation we can guide you on the process to becoming a carer. We also have a page here dedicated to giving you more information about applying to foster.
Our contact details:
Or if you prefer, simply select the “Get in Touch” button below to send us a message!
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