Becoming a foster carer
The process
Get in touch!
If you feel you could be the right person to transform a child’s life and want to know more, contact Local Community Fostering on 020 8496 3437 or via the short enquiry form below. We’ll have a chat on the phone so you can ask any questions and find out whether you could apply to be a foster carer.
Let’s meet
A member of your local council fostering team will visit you at home to talk through fostering in more detail and support you to explore whether it’s right for you. This is part of the process is usually called Initial Home Visit.
Helping you prepare for fostering
You’ll be invited to a Skills to Foster course, which covers all aspects of fostering and is a great opportunity to prepare yourself for welcoming a child into your home.
Throughout the process we will support you and your fostering team will be able to help answer any question or doubt you might have.
Learn more about the training and support available for prospective carers.
Assessment
Now you are ready for the fostering assessment. You’ll spend time with a social worker, working through detailed questions about your life from birth to now. Your local council will do a range of background checks to make sure you and your household are able to offer a safe, loving home for a child.
Approval
The final stage is a panel meeting. The panel includes independent members with a range of professional backgrounds and lived experience, who carefully consider your assessment and make a recommendation about fostering.
Your first foster child
If your panel is successful, you’ll be welcomed into your local fostering community. Your Supervising Social Worker will be there to support you, and your local council will use your assessment to help find the right match for your first foster child. You’ll also have access to ongoing training, learning opportunities and support to help you grow in confidence and feel well supported throughout your fostering journey.
Learn about the training and support available for our foster carers
Transferring
Your local council will be delighted to welcome you if you are an experienced foster carer thinking of transferring from another fostering service. The process is very straightforward, whether you are looking to transfer from another local council or a private agency.
To find out about how your Council supports foster carers, click the logos below
We’re the choice for people from all backgrounds—single, coupled up, LGBTQ+, renting, or owning—who want to open their hearts and homes to local children and become part of a loved local community.
Fill out this short form and one of our team will reach out for an open and honest chat. Or feel free to call us on 020 8496 3437 or email hello@localcommunityfostering.co.uk.
You’re more ready than you think.