With over 45 years of experience in fostering, we understand the demands faced by fostering services. That’s why over 370 fostering services have joined us. Find out more about fostering service membership.
About membership
By listening to and working with our members we create vital change, so that foster care is the very best it can be. We influence fostering policy and practice at every level across the UK and we also develop and pilot innovative approaches to foster care. Join our membership to benefit from being part of the UK's largest fostering community. Read more about the benefits of membership below.
'The support we receive about the latest practice and guidance is invaluable and knowing that our foster carers are protected with legal insurance is vital.'
Fostering service manager
As well as offering membership to fostering services, we also offer block membership for foster carers. Find out more about the benefits of membership for foster carers.
We also offer retired foster carer membership to continue to protect those who leave fostering with our market-leading legal protection scheme.
Request fostering service membership Request block membership for your foster carers
We protect
By purchasing membership on behalf of your foster carers, you can ensure they are fully protected in their roles. All of our foster carer members receive market-leading legal protection insurance that covers the whole fostering family. This includes:
- a legal helpline for expert advice on allegations and help with any legal queries
- attendance by a qualified and experienced solicitor should the foster carer or any of their household have to attend a police interview under caution as a result of an allegation
- cover for up to £150,000 legal expenses if a criminal prosecution or civil proceeding is brought against the foster carer or any of their household as a result of an allegation
- cover for Staying Put (or equivalent across the UK) and supported lodgings providers (for foster carers and former foster carers) who look after a young person up to the age of 25
- cover for any allegations that happen during the period of the foster carer’s membership even if they are no longer fostering or in membership.
- a completely confidential stress support service, available 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Foster carer members can access the legal helpline on 01384 885734. Log in and download the legal guide to read about what is covered by the policy.
We support
We support fostering services to be the most effective they can be by providing up-to-date information and sharing best practice.
Helplines
Our member helplines offer independent advice on all aspects of fostering, from regulations and legislation to assessments and reviews. Open Monday to Friday, get in touch with your fostering queries.
Our helplines are also available for foster carer members to help with a range of fostering issues from tax and benefits to delegated authority.
Learning and development
We can support your fostering service to meet the latest legislation and best practice requirements through our wide selection of online resources, publications, and training, all of which are discounted for our members.
Available for both fostering service staff and foster carers, our training offers the latest practical information to help our members to provide the best possible care. Training can be provided in-house or via open courses.
Practice support and guidance
Fostering service members in England can access local practice support through regional consultants who provide specialist guidance and expertise on all the latest sector information.
In addition, fostering services can purchase bespoke consultancy packages on a range of strategic or operational areas. Our consultants are experts in foster care and are skilled in improving practice.
‘One of the main positives of the consultancy has been the facilitation of a more joined-up approach to foster carer recruitment that has come about as a result of the workshops that were delivered and the clarity of the final reports.’
Get in touch for an initial discussion.
We connect
Being a member with us means that your service is joining over 370 other fostering services as part of the UK’s largest fostering community. As the essential network for fostering, we want all of our members to feel connected to the latest developments in fostering and each other. .
Events
We connect our foster carer and fostering service members through events, providing them with the opportunity to hear about the latest research and developments in foster care and to network with others in fostering. All of our members will be invited to our conferences which offer expert speaker and best practice sessions, exploring local, regional and national issues in fostering.
Visit our events page to find details of upcoming events in your area.
Magazine and e-newsletter
All our members will receive our termly Foster Care magazine which is full of in-depth articles on hot topics in fostering, as well as inspirational profiles, book reviews and foster family stories.
Log in to read our magazines online. If you are not yet a member you will be able to read some example articles from our magazines.
In addition, our monthly e-newsletters for fostering services and foster carer members provide up to date information and the latest sector news. If you or your foster arers are members but are not receiving the e-newsletters, please email membership@fostering.net.
Certificates of recognition for foster carers and young people
We offer a downloadable long service certificate, so that you can recognise your foster carers’ outstanding commitment and long service to fostering such as 10 years of service.
We also offer a downloadable certificate of achievement to acknowledge the accomplishments of the fostered children and young people in your service, as well as the sons and daughters of foster carers.
Creating change in foster care
You or your foster carers can get involved in our campaigning work by signing up to our campaigners e-newsletter.
We also develop and pilot innovative approaches to foster care through our projects and programmes such as the Mockingbird programme.
Raising the profile of fostering
Fostering transforms lives and we want everyone to recognise the crucial role that it plays in our society. That is why we work with our members to raise the profile of fostering and challenge the myths and stigma surrounding care, for example by delivering Foster Care FortnightTM, the annual Fostering Excellence Awards and through our media work.
