Fostering

Start your foster carer journey with Havering Council

We are looking for people who have space in their home and heart to foster a vulnerable Havering child or young person.

Foster carers help children to feel safe, healthy and happy because moving into a foster home can be unsettling and confusing for a child.

You’ll need to help them settle in by listening, understanding and offering a safe environment where they can understand why they’re living away from their birth parents.

As a foster carer with us, you will receive access to our bumper benefits package as well as ongoing training, access to our local 24/7 support, and peer support.

There is no such thing as a typical foster carer. We welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of ethnicity, faith, age, sexuality, disability, background, marital or employment status.

You look after them, we’ll look after you

There is no denying that fostering is a demanding job. You’ll need to be patient, understanding and flexible.

That is why we are offering increased support to our existing and new foster carers living in the borough which includes:

increased financial support
council tax relief – up to £2,000 for active fosters carers inside and outside the borough
free access to the borough’s leisure centres for the borough’s carers and the children in their care
free green bin collections
free car parking in a selection of parking spaces
more training and additional round-the-clock support

Stage 1

Register your interest

Complete a fostering enquiry form online

Email us at fostering@havering.gov.uk
Call us on 01708 434574
Request a call back

Our fostering recruitment team will follow up with you with a call to discuss your interest and share what fostering is about.

We will work with you to understand your situation, for example, whether you are already a foster carer or taking a positive step to become one.

Initial home visit

If you are looking into becoming a foster career, our fostering team will visit your home to answer any questions you may have and put you in touch with one of our foster carer ambassadors.

Training

You will be invited to start your Skills to Foster (StF) training and go through our statutory checking programme.

Feedback

There will be a follow up meeting once you have completed your Skills to Foster (StF) training to ensure you feel ready to take the next step.

Stage 2

Next steps

A Social Worker from Havering Council will be assigned to carry out an assessment within 4 months and will work with you to schedule regular assessment sessions during that time, including a:

mid-way assessment meeting for progress check
presentation to the our fostering panel with a recommendation to approve you as a foster carer

Your Social Worker’s recommendation will then be ratified by the Assistant Director of Children’s Services in Havering within 7 working days.

Final stage

Congratulations! You will become an approved foster carer in Havering!

You will have access to all the benefits the Council has to offer you while you are doing the important job of taking care of children in need of care.

Foster carers living in the borough are eligible to receive council tax relief.
Foster carers living in the borough are eligible to apply for an exemption to green bin collection services.
All foster carers and the children in their care are eligible to receive a complimentary leisure pass to the borough’s leisure centres.
All foster carers are eligible to receive a Max Card, a national discount initiative scheme that enables foster families to visit a vast number of attractions nationwide either free of charge or at a highly discounted rate.
All foster carers will be provided with a virtual parking permit which provides free parking in resident bays and council car parks borough wide. Permits for family members/backup carers who regularly assist with contact and or school runs will also be considered on a case by case basis.
If you nominate a friend or family member and they complete the fostering process and take their first placement you will be rewarded with a sum of £750.

We offer all our foster carers training opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge.

As a foster carer in Havering, you will have the support of a dedicated fostering social worker, who will provide you with all the hands-on help and advice you need, including:

out of hours support 24/7, 365 days per year
direct support and supervision to you and your family to ensure safe, happy, empowering and stable placements
a link to the wider fostering community and access to activities for your household via the Havering Foster Carers Association
daytime and evening support groups, including support groups for birth children
support with preparing for Looked after Children meetings
support in meeting the multicultural/religious needs of children
support in maintaining, where possible, ongoing contact between foster carers and children
support to achieve stability within the foster care environment and when leaving care
support to deal with feelings of loss and separation of foster carers and their family when children move on
support with writing daily logs, attending fostering panels, and active liaison with education and health professionals
bespoke training and support with professional development

There are many children and young people who need to be fostered so it is important that lots of different people work as a foster carers to provide homes for children.

Children who need to be fostered may be:

unaccompanied minors
parent and child placements
children with disabilities
siblings
teenagers

The children and young people who need looking after come from diverse backgrounds.

We’re looking for foster carers that represent our diverse community.

Fostering