Wokingham Borough Council Fostering

0118 974 6000 wokinghamdirect@wokingham.gov.uk

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Fostering

What is fostering?

Fostering is looking after a child who is unable to live with their parents due to concerns about neglect, abuse towards the child or ill health in the birth parent. The child lives with you in your home from a few days or months to several years. Fostering is a career which is about providing the best care through dedication, passion and a desire to secure the best outcomes for a child.

Private fostering

Private fostering is a private arrangement made by parents, or those with parental responsibility for a child, for someone to care for the child because they are unable to do so. Private fostering is very different from fostering for your local authority. It is not private fostering if the arrangement was made by Children's Services or if the person looking after the child is an approved foster carer.

We need foster carers

We need new foster carers from a variety of backgrounds and we'd love to hear from you. As well as mainstream foster carers interested in fostering older children and sibling groups, we have a particular need for solo (for those with complex needs requiring a more intense level of care), mother and baby, respite and supported lodgings carers.

Having enough local carers is vital to being able to offer young people the opportunity to live locally and maintain links with their friends, family and community and we recruit carers who live up to 20 miles away from Wokingham but who can also meet the responsibilities and commitments which come with the role.