You can foster in Lancashire

As you pay your council tax within a district of Lancashire, your local fostering service is Lancashire County Council.

Each week 20 local children need a family so we need foster carers from all backgrounds to provide loving homes.

Lancashire County Council would particularly like to recruit foster carers who are able to care for:

• Brothers and sisters.
• Older children and teenagers.
• Children that will be in foster care long term.
• Children with additional needs. This might include behaviour that challenges.
• Parent and child placements – this is a different type of fostering where parents live with their children in foster carers' homes, enabling them to stay together and develop a strong bond.

We welcome new foster carers from all different backgrounds, you only need to be over 21 and have a spare room to apply.

We value the contribution of our foster carers and offer a generous support package. This includes:

• Substantial financial allowances with clear progression and extra allowances for birthdays and holidays.
• Enhanced payments for parent and child placements.
• Comprehensive training programme including the ‘Skills to Foster’ course and ongoing development opportunities.
• A social worker specifically allocated to you. You can expect to have regular meetings which are a chance for you to talk through any problems and share information about children in your care.
• Support groups for you and your family.
• Membership to the Fostering Network which is a great resource for foster carers.

Staying local also includes additional benefits such as:

• Lower travelling distances, for example to school and meetings with birth families.
• Links with Children’s Centres, schools and other professional services.
• The benefits of our knowledge and experience as our teams have often been working with the children's families for a long time. We have a lot of important background knowledge which they can share with you.
• Finding the best possible match for both the child and your family. We work hard to identify areas like shared interests, pets and hobbies that will help build a bond and rapport between your family and the child.

If you’re interested in becoming a foster carer please complete this form and your enquiry will be emailed to the local authority you have selected.