NHS Foster Carers
Your NHS role could be the perfect springboard for a career in fostering.
- Types of fostering include short term, long term, short breaks and emergency
- Short breaks fostering usually involves weekends and school holidays
There is a shortage of over 1,300 foster carers in the North West.
On average, 90 children come into care every day in the UK, and there is a huge shortage of foster families in the North West.
At Family Care, we have opportunities for those who are new to fostering or who have experience and want to transfer.
We are a family-owned fostering agency looking for people who want to make a life-changing difference in children’s lives.
If that sounds like you, please get in touch.
“I love the fact that I am making a difference to the life of a young person. I would highly recommend fostering”
Enquire to Foster
Requirements of Fostering
The application process to become a foster carer is very in-depth. However, these are the basic requirements:
- Spare bedroom
- Over 21 years old
- British Citizenship or indefinite (permanent) leave to remain
You do not need any qualifications or experience, full training will be provided and you will receive 24/7 support.
You can become a foster carer regardless of gender, sexuality, ethnicity or faith. What is most important is what you can offer a young person.
Fostering Changes Lives
Working for the NHS will provide many relevant skills and experiences for a potential foster carer role.
Multi-agency professional meetings, working with support services, safeguarding, and keeping accurate recordings are all features of fostering, alongside parenting a vulnerable young person.
Foster carers make a life-changing difference to vulnerable children & young people in their communities.
The role is challenging and there will be highs and lows, but the rewards of changing a child’s life are amazing, and you will be supported every step of the way.
What support will you receive?
All foster parents should receive 24/7 phone support, a competitive fostering allowance, an allocated supervising social worker, and free training.
In addition, we provide our carers the following:
- In-house therapy team – regional therapists supporting our foster parents directly
- 15-20 activities a year for our children and young people (e.g. Alton Towers, X Factor Live, Chester Zoo)
- Regional support workers for our young people
- Supervising social worker (SSW) caseloads of 12-14 families – some agency SSW’s are expected to support 30 families!
- Annual leave payments – up to 2 weeks of annual leave every year (pro-rata)
- Travel expenses – we cover your travel expenses to attend training and foster care support groups
The Process
The process to become a foster carer usually takes 4-6 months. We will carry out checks, ask for personal and employment references, and you will have to complete a medical as part of the assessment.
Here is a map showing the different stages of the process.
Ready to start your fostering journey? It all begins with a phone call or an online enquiry.
To speak with a fostering advisor, call 0800 5 677677 or fill in our enquiry form.
