Who can foster and
what to expect

Lots of people can foster. You can be single, married, in a civil partnership, divorced or living with your partner. You do not have to own your home; you can be renting.

Do you:

• enjoy looking after children?
• have a spare room, if fostering a child over three years old, or space for a cot in your bedroom if you will be fostering babies?
• have time to care for a child? For example, if fostering a young child, this will mean taking them to and from school and taking them for visits with their birth family.
• have a level of maturity to not only cope with the demands of caring for a child or young person but also be able to feel confident to liaise with professionals that are involved with children in care?
• speak, read and write English to a reasonable standard?
• feel emotionally available to support children in your care?

If so, get in touch with Local Community Fostering! We’re always looking for potential foster carers and pride ourselves on attracting people from diverse and unique backgrounds.

As a foster carer with your local council you will receive:

• a weekly financial allowance to cover the day-to-day costs of your foster child
• a weekly financial allowance to cover your expenses
• additional financial allowances, often for birthdays, festivals and other celebrations
• support from a dedicated supervising social worker (this is different to children’s social workers and is focused entirely on supporting you)
• support from a foster care support group
• a comprehensive training package
• membership of your local foster carers’ association.