Could you foster?
Buckinghamshire residents are invited to come along to an in-person fostering information evening on Wednesday 22 January from 6:30pm to 8pm at The Gateway in Aylesbury. This event offers a unique opportunity to meet the friendly Foster with Bucks team and the incredible fostering community. Attendees can hear real-life stories and ask any questions in a relaxed and welcoming setting.
It’s a fantastic chance to learn more about the application process, what fostering involves, and the day-to-day life of being a foster carer.
Foster carers are everyday people and the Council welcomes applications from all community members, regardless of ethnicity, sexuality, gender identity, religion, relationship status, or family history. To foster, you need to have a spare room and be over 21 years old. There is no upper age limit to foster and our fostering community includes retirees and people from all walks of life who use their wealth of life experience to change a child's future daily.
With children needing a safe, secure, and loving home, fostering can be challenging but incredibly rewarding. No one comes to fostering ready-made, but when you join the Bucks community of foster carers, you’ll be supported every step of the way.
Buckinghamshire Council cares for and values their foster carers, helping them build the futures of children in Buckinghamshire and helping them to thrive. The Council offers:
- Competitive financial allowances (up to £29,000 per year per child cared for)
- 24/7 emergency support
- Experienced social workers
- Exceptional training, learning, and development programs
- Community support – buddy system, support groups, Mockingbird
- Mental health support – wellbeing program, CAMHS, therapeutic life story work
In recognition of the amazing work foster carers do, the Council also offers an exclusive perks and benefits package (worth up to £10,000, terms and conditions apply), including a 100% council tax refund, bigger bins, free parking, leisure experiences for the whole family, and much more.
Anita Cranmer, Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Children's Services, said:
“Fostering is a major priority for us with our commitment to provide the best possible outcomes for children who come into our care. We have over 500 children in Buckinghamshire who need local, caring people to provide safe and loving homes where they can thrive and don't have to move far away from their family, friends and all that’s familiar to them.
“We are incredibly proud of our existing fostering community and the critical work they do in building futures for our children and young people. However, we urgently need to expand this community by asking new carers to come forward.”
For more information on becoming a foster carer, visit: www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/fostering
