Fostering with your local authority is different because we are a 'not for profit' organisation with a wealth of experience and expertise in supporting families in Cumbria.
We make sure that you're fully prepared and supported to become a foster carer and ready to meet the needs of different children.
You'll undertake tailored training before you're approved, and we'll continue to support you to develop your skills with training and qualifications throughout your fostering career.
As one of our foster carers you're part of a much bigger team. You'll have your own fostering Social Worker who will be there to support and advise you as well as access to current foster carers who can share their experiences.
And you'll be amazed at just how many Cumbria foster carers live near you, with support groups for you and your family, you'll be able to get to know them, socialise and support each other and become part of a bigger community.
Remember, fostering isn't all about giving - you can get so much out of the experience - it can enrich the lives of everyone close to you. You will be making a difference to a child's life - often seeing their confidence and self-esteem grow.
How we support you:
- Buddying/mentoring from our experienced carers.
- A dedicated supervising Social Worker.
- There is a wide variety of high quality training available to carers, some is mandatory, whilst other courses can be tailored to your specific needs.
- Foster carer support groups enable you to share experiences, knowledge and extend your support network. We also organise social activities for carers and their children
- A generous package of payments including maintenance allowances and fees for each child you foster.
- There is also an out of hour's duty service for emergency issues outside of standard office hours.
- We also have Emotional Wellbeing Practitioners managed by Cumbria Fostering to offer support and advice to foster carers and children if they are struggling.
- We pay for our carers to be members of Fostering Network - an independent agency which provides advice, support and advocacy to foster carers.
Read more in our Statement of Purpose document (PDF).
