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.
Many children need fostering in Liverpool and across the North West. We’re looking for applicants new to fostering or who have experience and want to transfer. We offer specialist training, 24/7 support and active peer support.
If you’re considering becoming a foster parent, choose a 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 superb agency coverage across all regions – meaning you have the support of a team close to you.
One of the most established fostering agencies in Liverpool, we work with local authorities to place children and young people in homes where they can thrive.
As a foster carer with us, you’ll have unparalleled access to professional support and excellent free training in your local area. We want you to thrive too, being the best you can be in your role as foster carer.
On top of this, carers who are fostering in Liverpool have access to a very large and active peer network that includes local support groups.
Our foster carers in Liverpool are supported by a large team of fostering professionals at Fostering Solutions North West, which covers St. Helens, Halton, Liverpool, Sefton, Knowsley, The Wirral. This friendly team was rated as Outstanding by Ofsted at their last inspection. They pride themselves on going the extra mile to support our foster carers, foster children and each other whenever it’s needed.
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 Liverpool, 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 thoroughly enjoy fostering with my agency. It’s close knit and I have always had an excellent relationship with my Supervising Social Worker. I have never been without a placement and up to now all the placements I have had have been a perfect match for me and my family.
The support I receive is great and the training is brilliant too. I actually do more training than needed because the courses are not only informative but also enjoyable. I love the carer lunches, where the other foster carers meet every few months for a catch up!
Although I’m a single carer, I never feel alone due to the level of support from the agency and also having made friends with the other carers in the agency.
If you think you’d like to become a foster carer in Liverpool, 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 Liverpool. 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.
Dozens of children and young people are awaiting foster parents in Liverpool – hundreds across the North West. National Fostering Group has local offices across Lancashire, Cumbria, Merseyside and Manchester. This includes Blackpool, St Helens, Liverpool, Chorley, Barrow in Furness, Preston, Oldham, Warrington (HQ), Bolton and Burnley.
I find the commitment and skilfulness of the foster carers I supervise really inspiring, and it’s amazing how quickly they learn more once they’ve been approved.
It’s really important to me to make sure I’m available at the end of the phone when they need some advice, and I think my foster carers are glad to know that there are some really good services available to them, like our peer support service Helping Hands or our therapeutic one-to-one service TAPSS, if they need that bit of extra help with a difficult situation.
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 9,190 children live with a foster family in the North West. There are approximately 45,370 fostering households and 76,640 foster carers in England.
Sources: Department for Education, Ofsted
