We provide ongoing support to our foster families and our foster carers receive:

• Generous foster carer fees and weekly allowances while children are in  placement.
• Regular contact and support from a named, professionally-qualified fostering social worker.
• 24-hour support, 7 days a week from our qualified social workers (including our foster carers’ telephone advice line which operates weekdays from 6pm-11pm and weekends/bank holidays from midday-11pm). 
• A comprehensive training and development programme starting with the 6-week Skills to Foster course, then ongoing training including the opportunity to study for appropriate qualifications through the QCF (Qualifications and Credit Framework.)
• Local support groups and social events

Financial support

We offer our foster carers generous financial allowances and the opportunity to increase the amount of fees you receive by attending training courses and taking advantage of other development opportunities.

The financial package consists of 2 parts:

• Carer’s fee, which depends on the level of experience, skill and training of the foster carer, plus
• Child allowance, also paid to the carer to cover all the expenses incurred in caring for the child.

Support groups

We encourage our foster carers to attend our support groups held at child-friendly local venues with refreshments available for adults and children alike.

We also have summer and pantomime trips as well as a Christmas party for foster families.

Regular newsletters

We send regular newsletters to our carers to update them about developments in foster care and children’s services, forthcoming training opportunities and any other information we think you might be interested in.