Share homes. Shape lives.
We’re part of the Local Community Fostering service.
It is a network of six northeast London boroughs with an ambition to inspire more people from all walks of life, to become foster carers.
The Local Community Fostering service is dedicated to supporting you on your journey to becoming a local authority foster carer.
We want to hear from you whether you’re just considering fostering for the first time and want to find out a little more, or if you’re an experienced carer looking to transfer from an independent fostering agency.
We are always looking for carers from a variety of backgrounds regardless of age, ethnicity, religion, sexuality or marital or employment status.
Please visit the Local Community Fostering website and complete the short form, or call 020 8496 3437.
A member of our friendly Local Fostering Community team will be in touch at a time convenient to you to have an initial chat about fostering with Havering.
Start your foster carer journey with Havering Council
We are looking for people who have space in their home and heart to foster a vulnerable Havering child or young person.
Foster carers help children to feel safe, healthy and happy because moving into a foster home can be unsettling and confusing for a child.
You’ll need to help them settle in by listening, understanding and offering a safe environment where they can understand why they’re living away from their birth parents.
As a foster carer with us, you will receive access to our bumper benefits package as well as ongoing training, access to our local 24/7 support, and peer support.
There is no such thing as a typical foster carer. We welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of ethnicity, faith, age, sexuality, disability, background, marital or employment status.
You look after them, we’ll look after you
There is no denying that fostering is a demanding job. You’ll need to be patient, understanding and flexible.
That is why we are offering increased support to our existing and new foster carers living in the borough which includes:
- increased financial support
- council tax relief – up to £2,000 for active fosters carers inside and outside the borough
- free access to the borough’s leisure centres for the borough’s carers and the children in their care
- free green bin collections
- free car parking in a selection of parking spaces
- more training and additional round-the-clock support
Don't just take our word for it
Some of our existing foster carers and fostering supervisors have spoken about fostering and the fostering process.
Information events
Liberty Shopping Centre Information Stall
- 13 May 2024
- 21 May 2024
Drop in information mornings
First Fridays of every month from 10am to 11.30am at Havering Town Hall.
Waitrose, St Mary’s Lane, Upminster - 18 May 2024, 9.30am to 4.30pm.
Virtual information evenings
First Tuesday of every month from 6pm to 7pm.
Go to our Eventbrite page for fostering to choose a date and book a place
Stage 1
Register your interest
Find out how to contact us to register your interest
Our fostering recruitment team will follow up with you with a call to discuss your interest and share what fostering is about.
We will work with you to understand your situation, for example, whether you are already a foster carer or taking a positive step to become one.
Initial home visit
If you are looking into becoming a foster career, our fostering team will visit your home to answer any questions you may have and put you in touch with one of our foster carer ambassadors.
Training
You will be invited to start your Skills to Foster (StF) training and go through our statutory checking programme.
Feedback
There will be a follow up meeting once you have completed your Skills to Foster (StF) training to ensure you feel ready to take the next step.
Stage 2
Next steps
A Social Worker from Havering Council will be assigned to carry out an assessment within 4 months and will work with you to schedule regular assessment sessions during that time, including a:
- mid-way assessment meeting for progress check
- presentation to the our fostering panel with a recommendation to approve you as a foster carer
Your Social Worker’s recommendation will then be ratified by the Assistant Director of Children’s Services in Havering within 7 working days.
Final stage
Congratulations! You will become an approved foster carer in Havering!
You will have access to all the benefits the Council has to offer you while you are doing the important job of taking care of children in need of care.
- Foster carers living in the borough are eligible to receive council tax relief.
- Foster carers living in the borough are eligible to apply for an exemption to green bin collection services.
- All foster carers and the children in their care are eligible to receive a complimentary leisure pass to the borough’s leisure centres.
- All foster carers are eligible to receive a Max Card, a national discount initiative scheme that enables foster families to visit a vast number of attractions nationwide either free of charge or at a highly discounted rate.
- All foster carers will be provided with a virtual parking permit which provides free parking in resident bays and council car parks borough wide. Permits for family members/backup carers who regularly assist with contact and or school runs will also be considered on a case by case basis.
- If you nominate a friend or family member and they complete the fostering process and take their first placement you will be rewarded with a sum of £750.
We offer all our foster carers training opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge.
As a foster carer in Havering, you will have the support of a dedicated fostering social worker, who will provide you with all the hands-on help and advice you need, including:
- out of hours support 24/7, 365 days per year
- direct support and supervision to you and your family to ensure safe, happy, empowering and stable placements
- a link to the wider fostering community and access to activities for your household via the Havering Foster Carers Association
- daytime and evening support groups, including support groups for birth children
- support with preparing for Looked after Children meetings
- support in meeting the multicultural/religious needs of children
- support in maintaining, where possible, ongoing contact between foster carers and children
- support to achieve stability within the foster care environment and when leaving care
- support to deal with feelings of loss and separation of foster carers and their family when children move on
- support with writing daily logs, attending fostering panels, and active liaison with education and health professionals
- bespoke training and support with professional development
There are many children and young people who need to be fostered so it is important that lots of different people work as a foster carers to provide homes for children.
Children who need to be fostered may be:
- unaccompanied minors
- parent and child placements
- children with disabilities
- siblings
- teenagers
The children and young people who need looking after come from diverse backgrounds.
We’re looking for foster carers that represent our diverse community.
