Why foster with us?
Fostering is an incredibly rewarding thing to do – it’s so much more than a job. It offers a real sense of fulfilment and makes a positive difference to so many young lives.
We know this because we see and hear how our foster carers offer children a supportive and encouraging environment.
Once you have been approved and are ready, as one of our foster carers, you won’t have long to wait before your first foster child.
Not for profit
We operate a not-for-profit service which means that everything we do is for the children that we help and for the foster carers that we support.
As opposed to some commercial fostering agencies, every penny we spend in our fostering service goes on supporting our cared for children and their foster families.
This means that we are entirely focused on improving the lives of children in Blackpool as well as providing ongoing training and support for our foster carers.
By fostering with a local authority, you can help local children and make a difference that lasts a lifetime. That’s why the best route to fostering local children is through us.
We value diversity
We are looking for fostering families from all walks of life. We welcome single applicants, families with or without children, LGBTQ+ foster carers, applicants from the BAME community and those whose children have since left the family home.
We are proud to be a member of New Family Social, a charity dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ families in becoming foster carers or adopters.
When you're thinking of fostering with us, the important thing is that you have a spare room and the skills required, and have some experience of childcare.
Allowances
Some of our foster carers give up their jobs to care for children, so the foster care allowance they receive is vital to support them and their household.
Our generous weekly allowance shows how much we value our foster carers. It also demonstrates our commitment to achieving the best possible outcomes for our children in foster care, being cared for by caring supported, skilled, motivated and rewarded foster carers.
How much you are paid as a foster carer will depend on the type of foster care, the age of the child and their care needs. However, we offer a highly competitive financial package and allowances that cover all the costs of caring for a child.
If you are without a foster child, we also offer a retainer of up to eight weeks pay in most circumstances.
Supportive community
By joining Blackpool’s community of foster carers, you’ll have the ongoing support from our friendly and experienced fostering team.
You’ll receive one-to-one guidance with your supervising social worker and will be welcomed at our quarterly foster carer forums. Here you’ll have a chance to meet other people just like you and hear from some inspiring guest speakers.
We also host support groups, coffee mornings and all sorts of events for our foster carers, including a big yearly celebration for children in care.
Foster carers out of hours support
Fostering is a big commitment, and we recognise this. Therefore, we take great care to make sure you are never without support. We offer an out of hours fostering support line up to 9pm every day. An Emergency Duty Team is also available to contact in an emergency situation.
Fantastic training opportunities
We are dedicated to your development and growth as a foster carer to ensure children receive the best possible support. That’s why you’ll receive an excellent training package, where you will be encouraged to gain professional qualifications.
The best part is that our training is easy to work around your commitments as a foster carer, and is delivered in different formats, locations, and times to suit you.
Are you ready to take the next step?
If you’re ready to start the journey of a lifetime – one that gives you the sense of satisfaction like no other, we want to hear from you. Taking that first step to join our community of foster carers will be one of the biggest steps you’ll ever take. With us by your side, it’ll also be one of the best.
We would love to hear from you, contact us.