Find out if you could be a foster carer
In a few simple questions, you’ll know if you’re suitable to apply to become a foster carer.
Children and young people need fostering in Hampshire and the surrounding area. We offer training, 24/7 support, peer support, a generous fostering allowance, and exclusive perks and benefits.
If you’re considering becoming a foster carer in Hampshire, choose a national fostering agency with local teams who will be with you every step.
National Fostering Group is the largest independent fostering agency in the UK with agencies across all regions. This means that, wherever you live, you have the support of a local team.
We are the leading fostering agency in Hampshire and the south of England, working with Local Authorities to place children and young people in homes where they can thrive.
As a foster carer for the National Fostering Group, you’ll have unparalleled access to professional support and excellent free training in your area. We want you to thrive too, being the best you can be in your role as foster carer.
In addition, as a foster carer with the leading fostering agency in Hampshire, you’ll have access to a large and active peer network that includes local support groups.
Every decision this team makes is for the children. They place great emphasis on the children’s voices being heard – birth children and foster children. They consider their foster carers as professional members of the wider fostering team. With an office in Winchester, they support foster carers across Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and the south of England.
Our average foster carer pay is around £24,500 a year (£2,040 on average per month), which is far higher than the government’s recommended weekly allowance. For most foster carers in Hampshire, this will be tax free! Some types of fostering placement pay more than £35,000 a year. Foster carer pay doesn’t affect state benefits you’re currently receiving.
I have had fantastic support from my social worker. She is always prepared to talk when needed and is always proactive in dealing with any issues which arise. I find her easy to chat to and get along with.
If you think you’d like to become a foster carer in Hampshire, your next step is to have a chat. You can book a call by using our enquiry form. After this, if you decide to go ahead with an application, this usually takes around 16 weeks and we’ll help you every step of the way. We’ll help you decide what types of fostering you want to do and we’ll even get you started with foster carer training.
We are looking for foster carers in Hampshire and the south of England, across all areas. We welcome people from ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds, physical abilities and the LGBT+ community. You can be single, married, a homeowner or a tenant. Your ability to care for and nurture a child is what really matters. If you’ve worked in sectors like education, the emergency services, care or healthcare, you’ll be especially suited to this role.
Scores of children are waiting to find foster parents in every village, town and city in Hampshire. National Fostering Group has a team in Hampshire, supporting fostering in Basingstoke, Portsmouth, Southampton, Andover, the Isle of Wight, Farnborough, Eastleigh, Havant, Brockenhurst and Ringwood.
FS South also supports fostering in Dorset, Surrey and Oxfordshire, up to Gloucestershire and Northamptonshire. Agency patches can overlap. Sister agencies also supporting fostering in the south of England include Family Placement (based in Oxford) and Enhanced Foster Care (based in Warminster). You can use your postcode to refine your search for your local fostering agencies.
My supervising social worker is very down to earth, I feel she always has my back and the backs of everyone in the household.
Our foster carers come from all walks of life. With training, support and a generous fostering allowance, they provide homes where children can thrive and experience the childhood they deserve.
More than 9,000 new foster carers are needed UK-wide to provide homes for children in need of a foster family. If you’re thinking of becoming a foster carer, now’s the time.
Source: The Fostering Network
Around 7,230 children live with a foster family in the South East. There are approximately 45,370 fostering households and 76,640 foster carers in England.
Sources: Department for Education, Ofsted
