Foster carers choose to foster with us because we're experts in safeguarding and caring for children and young people.
This is in addition to our positive relationships with:
- children and young people
- their families
- partner agencies.
As well as being honest and open in our work, whilst also showing respectful curiosity for children and young people’s best interests, we're responsible for every child in Medway.
Offering a fantastic support package backed by competitive financial allowances and rewards, we have a good record of placement stability due to our efficient matching process at the referral stage, promptly addressing any challenges or area of need.
Our foster carers become skilled childcare professionals through our specialist training, whilst using therapeutic fostering methods to create positive parent-child engagements.
Driven by children’s needs, we provide high-quality, stable foster care placements in warm and welcoming fostering family homes, for as long as they need.
We aim to offer strong transparent leadership support as we acknowledge that our foster carers are one of our most important assets.
Our success comes from our investment in people
We take the time to understand our carers, and our approach is always family-based.
This creates happy and successful carers who enjoy their role and actively contribute to the success of our fostering services and outcomes for children.
By empowering our carers with continued support, understanding, time and consideration, we make sure that the looked after children under their care have an opportunity to thrive.
"I foster because I want to give the children in my care a start, a chance to gain life experiences. To share my home and family, which these children deserve."
Reasons to foster with us
All together
Our children’s social workers, fostering team and senior managers are all based under one roof. This enables us to work together efficiently and effectively.
These relationships assist us in providing intensive and consistent support to our foster carers and to our children in care.
Balance
We aim to provide a balance in the needs of the foster family. This includes the carers, birth children and foster children and where possible we allocate special time to all family members.
Children’s champions
We have 2 children’s champions who work directly with children in care and birth children of fostering families.
This ensures we support all children living in fostering families.
Therapeutic support workers
We have therapeutic support workers who can develop your knowledge with behaviour management strategies, parenting styles or support any other needs of the placement.
Competitive fostering rates
We offer competitive fostering rates and can support you to achieve recognised qualifications for your own career development.
Duty social worker
We have a duty social worker available during business hours and an out-of-hours service.
This allows you to access support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Placements officer
We have a placements officer who will manage and coordinate the referral, initial matching and placement of children and young people with foster carers.
Fostering mentors
We have fostering mentors to support our foster carers in need of additional advice and guidance.
Birth children involvement
We involve birth children in the initial fostering process. We seek their opinions and involve them in family discussions.
We also aim to inform all parties involved in fostering about the nature of fostering. This includes the positive and negative aspects.
Local council responsibility
We’re responsible for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all Medway children.
Our team of social workers, managers and independent reviewing officers work together to make decisions in the best interest of our children.
We believe, for our children in care, that means placing them with foster carers who we have assessed and who we continue to train and support.
Support groups
We have regular support groups attended by foster carers and social workers.
These informal chats and opportunities give everyone a chance to share advice, experiences and increase your fostering network.
Training
We have an extensive training agenda that you access as soon as you’re approved. It covers a range of topics and relevant issues affecting our children.
Start your fostering journey today
Even more reasons to foster with us
- We offer a generous fostering allowance and a reward fee in recognition of your commitment and dedication
- We offer careful and considerate guidance and development throughout the application process
- All newly approved foster carers will have the benefit of being allocated to an experienced senior social worker
- We provide skills and induction training, as well as ongoing training guidance and support
- We're dedicated to supporting your career development opportunities from your first placement and beyond
- We host regular events and targeted support groups enabling you to meet other foster carers and to learn from each other
- You gain a whole new community of fostering families
- You become part of a growing support network of like-minded people
- We have a robust ‘matching process’ to ensure every aspect of a child’s needs are considered to carefully match them with the right foster family. We always aim to match foster carers with foster children who we think will fit well together and form a strong relationship
- We get to know you on an individual basis.
Speak to us
Fostering is a life changing experience and an amazing journey.
Whether you're making an application or need more information about the process, we would encourage you to take the opportunity to speak to one of our:
- existing foster carers to hear about their experiences
- social workers or members of our fostering recruitment team to help you start your fostering journey.
"We live in a diverse world now, and we need the right people coming forward to become foster carers. They need to have a commitment to the job, the children and to see it through to the end."
Our central recruitment team will respond to all fostering enquiries and answer any questions you may have before making any prior commitment.
Register your interest in fostering