Fostering

We need special people to foster children and young people from the Wokingham Borough and to work with our Fostering Team.

Fostering is about caring for someone else’s child in your own home.

Image note: Top left, middle left and top right photos posed by models from John Birdsall Social Issues Photo Library

We need foster carers

We need local families to care for children and young people from the Wokingham Borough who are looked after by the Council.

We are looking for foster carers who can provide a loving stable home in which children and young people can grow, and recover from any difficulties they may have.

We need carers who can care for children, of all ages from birth to 18 years.

We currently have 65 children and young people who are looked-after by Wokingham Borough Council. We desperately need more foster carers so that we can ensure that these children young people are placed in loving family homes near to their schools, friends and families.

Who can foster?

Anyone can foster, if they are over 18 years, have a spare room and have the patience and understanding to care for someone else’s child. Enquiries are welcome from single people or married couples. You will need to be healthy but there are no rigid age restrictions for foster carers.

You don’t need to be a home owner; fostering is more about the time and space you are able to give to child.

Foster carers need to be able to provide a safe and nurturing environment and set and maintain clear boundaries. Many of these children and young people through no fault of their own have often experienced difficulties in their lives.

To become a foster carer you need to have a successful family assessment and approval, and will be fully trained.

There are many kinds of fostering:

Children may need regular short term periods of being looked after - respite care

There may be a crisis in a child’s life which may need a short period of foster care before being returned to their parents

Some children will need to spend the rest of their childhood being looked after

Some children have special needs, such as physical or learning difficulties. Additional training is available should you wish to specialise in caring for children with special needs

There may need to be an assessment of the child and their parents to see what kind of services they may need

All foster carers will receive full support and payment

This will be:

Up to £450 per week per child including allowances. This is under review

Regular and ongoing training with opportunities to persue a professional qualification

Full support from a named link worker from the fostering team plus a 24/7 support helpline

Recognition as part of a professional team caring for children

Social events for Wokingham Borough foster carers

Full support from our child care teams with every child who is placed in your care

A real sense of satifaction that you are making a real difference to a child’s life

What do you need to be a foster carer?

A spare room
Space in your life
A great deal of patience
Understanding
The ability to work as a team
To be flexible
To be warm and caring
To be able to show care and at the same time maintain discipline
To be committed to ensuring that the child is able to go to school and to ensure that he or she has the same life chances as any other child

Contact us

Contact details for the Fostering Team
Contact	Information
Address:	Central Placements and Fostering Team Shute End Wokingham Berkshire RG40 1BN
Telephone:	0118 974 6204
Fax:	0118 974 6135
Email:	fostering@wokingham.gov.uk

If you are interested in becoming a foster carer and would like to request an initial visit please contact the fostering team on the number above or complete the Initial Visit Request form below.