How to get into Fostering
To start fostering the first thing you need to do is get in touch with a registered fostering agency.
Registered fostering agencies manage the fostering process, usually on behalf of local councils. Agencies must also be registered with Ofsted.
Your Fostering Agency can
- Explain what is involved in fostering
- Discuss how fostering works from personal, family, financial, legal and practical points of view
- Explain what steps are involved, what you can expect at each stage and how long it takes to get going
- Answer any questions you might have about fostering
- Let you know what you need to provide (you must have a spare bedroom either now or have one available in the next few months)
Your Agency
- Helps find you a suitable foster child – one who will fit best into your family
- Provides you with lots of support, especially when you are new to fostering
- Pays you for being a foster parent – the pay is good. Many people treat fostering as a career
Agencies also check that the foster children they are responsible for are safe and well looked after by their foster families. Foster children often come from quite difficult backgrounds so it’s very important that their new home is safe and secure.
So where does Unity Foster Care come in to this?
Being a foster parent is amazingly rewarding: you help improve a child’s life chances, you see them develop and mature into independent young adults. They can become important members of your family. As a registered fostering agency in your area, we help people who want to get in to fostering begin the process. We also have the highest Ofsted rating we could get at our stage of development.
We’d love to talk
So if you want to get into fostering – talk to us!
Many of our foster carers started out their fostering careers with us at Unity. We are a friendly community of foster parents and foster professionals who often work together, support each other and share the ups and downs of being a foster parent.
It’s important that you have a really good relationship with your fostering agency so read what some of our foster parents have to say about us
"We just want to say a massive thank you for everything you've done, you have been a massive support to us both and we can't thank you enough, looking forward to continuing working with you in our journey as Foster carers thank you"
K&P - FOSTER CARER - TEESSIDE
"Unity seemed to be offering that high level of support for all concerned. I can state unreservedly that we have definitely made the correct choice for us so far"
KK - FOSTER CARER - HULL
"We have been VERY impressed at the training/support offered. We're REALLY looking forward to a long partnership with Unity, if you're thinking about Fostering ... DO IT! "
DC - FOSTER CARER - LEEDS
Get in touch with us today for an initial friendly chat. We’d love to hear from you - ask us absolutely anything!