Fostering in Hartlepool

When children are unable to live with their birth families, foster carers offer more than a place to stay. They provide encouragement, routine and a safe environment where children can begin to rebuild confidence and develop the skills they need for life. The positive influence of a foster carer can have a lasting impact on a young person's future.

Action for Children Fostering is looking for caring people throughout Hartlepool who are ready to make a meaningful difference. Whether you live close to the coast, in a residential neighbourhood or in one of the surrounding communities, fostering gives you the chance to support local children while helping them remain connected to familiar places and people.

You don't need specialist qualifications or previous fostering experience. If you're patient, resilient and committed to helping children thrive, we'll provide the training, guidance and support needed to help you succeed.

If you've ever considered fostering, now could be the perfect time to find out more.

We understand that fostering is a significant commitment that requires both emotional investment and practical support. That's why we provide fostering payments designed to help carers concentrate on providing the best possible care.

Payments consist of a fostering allowance and a fostering fee. The allowance helps cover the day-to-day costs of caring for a child, including meals, clothing, travel and activities. The fee acknowledges the valuable contribution foster carers make and the responsibility involved in supporting children and young people.

The level of financial support available depends on factors such as the type of fostering you provide and the individual needs of the child living with you. Additional support may also be available for educational opportunities, special occasions and other activities that help children grow and develop.

Our aim is to ensure foster carers have the resources they need to provide stability, opportunity and a positive home environment.

By supporting carers financially, we help them focus on building trusting relationships and creating lasting positive experiences for children.

Foster carers deserve a strong support network, and we're committed to making sure help is always available when it's needed.

From your first enquiry through to becoming an experienced foster carer, you'll be supported by a dedicated team that understands the challenges and rewards of fostering. Every foster carer is allocated a supervising social worker who provides guidance, supervision and practical advice tailored to their circumstances.

We know that fostering works best when carers feel connected to others who understand their experiences.

Foster carers can benefit from:

• Dedicated support from a supervising social worker
• Regular supervision and review meetings
• Foster carer support groups
• Peer networking opportunities
• Access to specialist advice and resources
• Emergency and out-of-hours support

Support groups provide a valuable opportunity to share experiences, discuss challenges and learn from others who are also making a difference to children's lives.

We're committed to ensuring every foster carer feels respected, supported and confident throughout their fostering journey.

Children in care often need carers who can understand their experiences and respond with empathy, patience and confidence. That's why we provide comprehensive training designed to support foster carers at every stage of their development.

All training is provided free of charge and begins before approval. Learning continues throughout your fostering journey to ensure you feel prepared for the different situations you may encounter.

Skills to Foster

This introductory programme explores the foundations of fostering, including understanding children's needs, attachment, safeguarding, communication and the responsibilities involved in the foster carer role.

Therapeutic Parenting

Many children entering care have experienced significant disruption, trauma or loss. Therapeutic parenting training helps carers understand these experiences and develop approaches that promote trust, emotional wellbeing and positive relationships.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding training covers essential topics including child protection, online safety, health and wellbeing and recognising the challenges children and young people may face.

Developing Your Skills

As you gain experience, you'll have access to further learning opportunities that allow you to strengthen your knowledge, explore specialist areas and continue developing as a foster carer.

Our training programme is designed to help carers provide safe, supportive and nurturing homes where children can feel understood and valued.

Many people who become exceptional foster carers never imagined they would be suitable for the role. In reality, foster carers come from a wide variety of backgrounds and life experiences.

You may be able to foster if you:

• Are over 21 years old
• Have a spare bedroom
• Have the right to live and work in the UK
• Can provide a safe and stable home environment

We welcome enquiries from:

• Single people
• Couples and partners
• Parents and people without children
• Homeowners and tenants
• Full-time workers
• Retired individuals
• People from diverse cultural and faith backgrounds
• Members of the LGBTQ+ community
• People living with disabilities

There is no "perfect" foster carer. Children need a variety of homes and positive role models that reflect the diversity of the communities they come from.

The most important qualities are compassion, patience, reliability and a genuine desire to help children achieve positive outcomes.

By fostering in Hartlepool, you could provide a child with the support, encouragement and stability they need to build confidence, overcome challenges and create a brighter future.

Contact our Hartlepool fostering team today to find out more about becoming a foster carer and how we can support you every step of the way.