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.
Foster carers in Norfolk receive locally-delivered training, 24/7 support, peer support, and the opportunity to be the best you can be in your role. There are many children and young people who need fostering in Norfolk. Can you help?
If you’re considering applying to be a foster carer in Norfolk, choose to work with a fostering agency that has 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.
We are the leading fostering agency in the UK and work in partnership with the local authority 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 local area. We want you to thrive too, being the best you can be in your role as foster carer.
In addition, you’ll have access to a large and active peer network that includes several local support groups.
NFA East is one of the largest and most well-established agencies in our group. Despite covering an extensive geographical area, it provides localised groups and events so that foster carers feel well-supported within their locality. New foster carers are buddied with more experienced carers. Three quarters of our foster child placements are long term.
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 Norfolk, 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.
Being a foster carer with National Fostering Group has been fantastic right from the beginning. They answered my questions, eased my concerns, and gave me the support I needed to get going. Since then, they've provided fantastic support at every opportunity, which has allowed me to make a big difference to the lives of the kids I care for.
If you think you’d like to become a foster carer in Norfolk, 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 Norfolk. 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.
Hundreds of children are currently fostered or waiting to find foster parents across Norfolk.
National Fostering Group has an office in Thetford, covering the whole area including Lowestoft, Great Yarmouth, Cromer, Fakenham, Hunstanton, Mundford and King’s Lynn.
The best part of my role is seeing the foster carers who, to begin with, may lack confidence or feel they are not doing things quite right, blossom into fostering experts. Seeing the bonds develop between the children and foster families makes everything we do worth it.
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 4,800 children live with a foster family in the East of England. There are approximately 45,370 fostering households and 76,640 foster carers in England.
Sources: Department for Education, Ofsted
