Why foster for your local authority?
As a local authority foster carer, you'll be working directly with the children's services of the council who are responsible for over 1,500 looked after children in Liverpool. Our fostering service is not for profit, and our priority is the welfare of our children and young people.
Liverpool is a part of Foster4 which is a collaboration between the eight Local Authorities in Cheshire and Merseyside. By pooling our resources we aim to recruit even more foster carers provide even greater support to the ones we have and ultimately keep more local children with local foster carers.
By choosing to foster with us, you'll be helping to keep children in their own communities, giving them access to familiar things, helping them maintain their friendships and education and making their childhood as normal as possible for them.
We need more foster carers to provide stable and loving homes for children of all ages and backgrounds. Every child is different and so we are looking for a diverse range of foster carers to meet a wide range of needs.
What our foster carers say
Nicola's story
"It's so rewarding on both sides, the children love coming into our home, but we get a lot of enrichment from the children too. You’re not just giving the children your time and attention you are also really helping the foster carers and the families."
Chereece and Grant's story
As a 29 and 26-year-old couple, Chereece and Grant initially thought they were too young to foster, until they attended one of our information events.
Ian and Toni's story
"Fostering has made a massive difference to our lives and is something we hope to carry on doing for many years."
Phil's story
Our birth kids have been vital in helping our foster kids learn some of the most vital lessons in life.
David's story
David has been fostering with us for a year, but he told us that sometimes people are surprised this is possible as a single, gay, male.
Amra and Tahir's story
Amra and Tahir have been foster carer's with us for around 3 years, they told us how they enjoyed the assessment process and becoming a part of a community.
With the Foster4 collaboration all carers will have access to training across the 8 local authorities, meaning there are many more recourses available to our foster carers. Alongside our new and improved training offer, there are many new service developments including, a Mockingbird family support model and a foster care association.
Mockingbird - 'It takes a village to raise a child'
Mockingbird is an award-winning programme led by The Fostering Network in the UK. It nurtures the relationships between children, young people and foster families supporting them to build a resilient and caring community based on an extended family.
One 'constellation' consists of one Hub Home Carer who supports 6 – 10 Satellite fostering families.
Led by a Hub Home Carer and Liaison Worker, the constellation community offers vital peer support and guidance alongside social activities, planned and emergency sleepovers and learning and development opportunities to strengthen relationships and permanence.
Mockingbird is for both Family and Friends Foster Carers and Mainstream Foster Carers.
Foster Carer Association
We are forming a Foster Care Association which will be run by our Foster Carers, for our Foster Carers. It will provide you with opportunities to:
- Share your experiences as foster carers.
- Attend social events for fostering families.
- Build social connections.
- Share challenges and learn from other foster carers’ knowledge.
- Access informal support
- Have your voice heard by being a critical friend for our Fostering Service.
Support and rewards
If you'd like to pursue a rewarding role as a foster carer, we will support you every step of the way by providing support and many rewards which includes, council tax exemption, pre and post-approval training, free lifestyles membership, access to a holiday home at Presthaven Beach Resort, competitive skills and children's allowance payments and so much more!
Full list of support and rewards available to our foster carers.
Join our fostering community!
When you foster for Liverpool you’ll enjoy the chance to meet and socialise with other foster families, at regular foster carer forums, social events such as a Christmas party, and join in competitions to win tickets to the theatre and sporting events! Regular foster carer forums are a great way to meet other carers and learn from each other and professionals in a relaxed and social environment.
Hear about our Fostering Community and the things that you could be a part of.
If you're already a foster carer
If you’re already a foster carer for an independent Fostering Agency or Local Authority, you could transfer to us efficiently. We aim to get transfers done within just 8-12 weeks. We can also often match your current fees or in some circumstances enhance them! Please get in touch to discuss your individual situation in confidence with us.
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"We transferred to Liverpool and two sisters, and a brother arrived only a matter of days later, and that was eight years ago. And we've still got them now. They are 13, 14 and 15."
Karen