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 Manchester and the North West. We have opportunities for foster parents who are new to fostering or have experience and want to transfer. We offer training, 24/7 support, peer support and professional development.
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 Manchester, 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 foster carer 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, our Manchester foster carers have a large and active peer network that includes several local support groups.
Based in Bolton, this fostering agency supports 100s of foster carers and foster children across Cumbria, the Staffordshire borders, Lancashire, Manchester, Cheshire, St. Helens, Liverpool, The Wirral and the Welsh Borders. It’s a large agency with an Outstanding Ofsted rating. New foster carers are assigned a Buddy.
Based in Warrington, NFA North West is a medium-sized agency with a big heart that covers a similar geographical area to Fostering Solutions. With a Good Ofsted rating, this team meets the needs of more than 200 foster children across 21 local authorities. It has a highly experienced team and strong core values – and a thriving events calendar.
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 Manchester, 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.
The best thing about living with my new nannie is I get to give her big hugs.
If you think you’d like to become a foster carer in Manchester, 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 Manchester and the surrounding 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.
Many children and young people are awaiting foster parents in Manchester; hundreds across the North West. National Fostering Group has local offices across the entire area, including Lancashire, Cumbria and Merseyside. This includes Blackpool, St Helens, Liverpool, Chorley, Barrow in Furness, Preston, Oldham, Warrington (HQ), Bolton and Burnley.
My carers Tracey and Paul are newly approved foster carers with plenty of personal experience of raising their children into adulthood and their grandchildren. Tracey and Paul were excited, yet apprehensive, of starting their fostering journey, having been approached to support a complex young man as part of a shared care arrangement.
They have received support from our social work team and the local authority and, with this support, they have thrived within their role as foster carers. They have shown empathy and understanding to this young person and with all working together to get the best outcomes he is thriving in his new placement.
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
