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 need fostering in Newcastle and the North East. We welcome both new applicants and experienced foster carers who want to transfer. We’re a warm, active foster agency that offers 24/7 support, training and 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 Newcastle, 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 and around Newcastle. 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 Newcastle have a large and active peer network that includes more than a dozen local support groups.
Our foster carers in Newcastle and the surrounding areas are supported by the big, friendly team of fostering professionals at Reach Out Care, based in County Durham. This hard-working team was rated as Good by Ofsted at their last inspection. They spend time making sure their foster carers have everything they need to be their best, making fostering a child in Newcastle a genuinely rewarding experience.
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 Newcastle, 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.
We had been fostering for about 6 years with a local authority when we moved to the North East and decided after a break to come back into fostering. After casting around for different fostering options, we decided on Reach Out Care (a National Fostering Group agency).
Right from the start they were brilliant, through the initial assessment and on to panel, they couldn’t have been more helpful and supportive, what a difference to our experience with a local authority.
We have been with them now for 2 years and we couldn’t be happier, the level of support is outstanding, both for ourselves and more importantly for the looked after children. Our supporting social worker often goes that extra mile to help and the response from her is always very quick. We are always treated as professionals, something we never experienced whilst with local authority.
If you think you’d like to become a foster carer in Newcastle, 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 Newcastle. 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 need foster parents in Newcastle. National Fostering Group has local offices that support foster carers across the region, including Newcastle, Darlington, Sunderland, Gateshead and Durham.
I had two local households approved as foster carers on the same day back in October 2018. As short term foster carers, the agency took time to ensure they were carefully matched to their first placement and the children are still there 18 months later.
Both households have grown to love fostering and realised that with the support of the agency, access to training and experienced peer support they could commit to these children and offer them a long term home. One of the households is using the agency’s discount scheme to take the young person away on holiday this month too.
In addition, both households are considering opening up another bedroom in order to be able to offer another child a stable home.
Around 3,750 children live with a foster family in the North East. There are approximately 45,370 fostering households and 76,640 foster carers in England.
Sources: Department for Education, Ofsted
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
