Benefits of fostering with us
When you foster with us, you're fostering for your Local Authority. But why should you consider fostering with us?
- Your council fostering service is entirely not for profit and always has the child’s best interests at heart. Every single penny of your taxpayer’s money is spent on delivering a good service to the children and their foster carers
- Join our team and you’ll be helping local children stay in their communities. This means they can go to the same school, see their friends and have contact with their families, if it’s safe to do so
- We usually look to our own foster carers first to find a local home for vulnerable children. You are unlikely to have long gaps between children, and there is the flexibility to choose the types of fostering you do, and the age range of the children you prefer to look after.
- All our approved foster carers will receive not just the weekly age-linked allowance, but also a weekly fee that recognises your skill and experience. Many foster carers who have transferred to us from independent agencies have been surprised to find that our payments are competitive, with payments also made for mileage.
- All of your support and training is held locally, so you won’t have to travel out of county for these.
- When you foster for us, you’ll join a friendly and supportive fostering community that meets regularly to share information and learn from each other. You’ll be connected to other carers in your area, giving you a local support network.
- We support you throughout your fostering journey and offer ongoing training
- There are great opportunities to expand your skills and increase your income if you choose to move through our progression scheme.
- Local authorities offer a range of social events for their carers such family fun days, coffee mornings and support groups. You will also have access to lots of discounts with local businesses.
- We run a specific support group for the birth children of foster carers, regularly running fun events like graffiti workshops, activity days and more. Find out more about our WeCare2 support group for birth children here.
- You will receive a 50% reduction in Council Tax from the 1 April 2023. Find out more about this new scheme here.