Fostering in Gloucestershire

Foster carers play an important role in helping children navigate periods of uncertainty and transition. By offering consistency, encouragement and everyday family experiences, you can help a child build confidence, develop positive relationships and achieve their potential.

At Action for Children Fostering, we're looking for caring individuals and families throughout Gloucestershire who can provide local children with the support they need to thrive. Whether you live in a city, market town, village or rural community, fostering gives you the opportunity to make a genuine and lasting impact on a young person's life.

You don't need previous fostering experience to get started. What matters most is your ability to provide patience, understanding and a safe space where a child can feel valued and supported.

If you're considering fostering in Gloucestershire, we'll guide you through every stage of the journey and provide support long after you're approved.

Becoming a foster carer is a significant commitment, and we believe carers should receive the financial support they need to focus on providing the best possible care.

Our fostering payments consist of both fees and allowances. Allowances help cover everyday costs such as clothing, food, travel, school activities and household expenses. Fees recognise the essential role foster carers play and the time, training and dedication required to support children and young people.

The amount you receive will vary depending on the type of fostering you provide and the individual needs of the child placed with you. Additional support may also be available to assist with special occasions, educational opportunities and unexpected costs that can arise during a placement.

We want foster carers to feel financially secure so they can concentrate on creating positive experiences, building strong relationships and helping children succeed.

Our goal is to remove as many barriers as possible, enabling carers to focus on providing safe, nurturing and stable homes.

When you become a foster carer with Action for Children, you'll be supported by a team that understands both the rewards and challenges of fostering.

Every foster carer has a dedicated supervising social worker who provides regular contact, professional guidance and ongoing support. We take time to build strong relationships with carers so we can understand their needs and help them feel confident throughout their fostering journey.

Support is available from the moment you make an enquiry and continues throughout your time as a foster carer.

Support available includes:

• A dedicated supervising social worker
• Regular supervision sessions and home visits
• Foster carer support groups
• Opportunities to connect with experienced carers
• Access to specialist advice and services
• Emergency and out-of-hours support

Being part of a supportive fostering network can make a real difference. Many foster carers value the opportunity to exchange ideas, share experiences and learn from others who understand the realities of fostering.

We are committed to ensuring every foster carer feels supported, listened to and equipped to provide the highest standards of care.

Providing excellent foster care starts with having the right knowledge and skills. That's why we offer high-quality training designed to support carers at every stage of their fostering journey.

All training is provided free of charge and is available before approval and throughout your fostering career. Our learning programme is designed to help you understand children's experiences and develop the confidence needed to support them effectively.

Skills to Foster

This introductory programme provides an overview of fostering and covers key topics including child development, attachment, communication, safeguarding and the responsibilities of the foster carer role.

Therapeutic Parenting

Children who come into care may have experienced trauma, neglect or disruption. Therapeutic parenting training helps foster carers understand the impact of these experiences and develop supportive approaches that strengthen trust and emotional wellbeing.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding training covers child protection, online safety, emotional wellbeing, health and recognising issues that may affect children and young people.

Ongoing Learning Opportunities

Fostering is a role that involves continual learning. As your experience grows, you'll have access to additional training that helps you develop specialist skills and respond confidently to a wide range of situations.

Our aim is to ensure every foster carer feels knowledgeable, capable and supported in helping children achieve positive outcomes.

Many people who would make excellent foster carers don't believe they're eligible. In reality, foster carers come from a wide variety of backgrounds and life experiences.

If you're over 21, have a spare bedroom and have the right to live and work in the UK, there's a good chance you could foster.

We welcome applications from:

• Single people
• Married couples and partners
• Parents and non-parents
• Homeowners and tenants
• Working professionals
• Retired individuals
• People from all cultural, ethnic and faith backgrounds
• LGBTQ+ individuals and couples
• People living with disabilities

There is no perfect foster carer. Children need different kinds of homes, experiences and role models that reflect the diversity of the communities they come from.

The qualities we value most are kindness, resilience, empathy and a willingness to help children overcome challenges and build brighter futures.

By fostering in Gloucestershire, you could provide a child with the stability, support and encouragement they need to feel safe, develop confidence and achieve their goals.

Get in touch with our Gloucestershire fostering team today to learn more about becoming a foster carer and the support available to help you get started.