Why foster with us
When you become a foster carer for Tower Hamlets, it’s not just a loving and stable home you will be offering a child, there’s also the opportunity to make great friends and be part of a supportive and friendly fostering community.
Fostering is a deeply rewarding role, but we understand it can also be challenging. That’s why we offer a wide range of benefits, training, and support to help you thrive.
The benefits
Financial support
- Competitive fostering fees and allowances up to £860 per week.
- 100% Council Tax relief for foster carers who are actively caring for children.
- Additional annual allowances for birthdays, festivals and holidays
- Birthday Payments £110 for age range 0 to 10 and £150 for age range 11 to 18.
- Child Holiday Payments £500 per child.
- Foster Carer Holiday Payment £400.
- Religious Celebration Payment £110 for ages 0 to 10 and £150 for ages 11 to 17.
- Start up grant to support with home furnishings for the child
- Blue Light Card membership, providing access to national discounts and benefits.
- Foster carer referral scheme (£1,000) and internal staff referral scheme (£500).
Additional support
- Comprehensive training and development programme.
- Clinical therapeutic support dedicated for foster carers through therapeutic parenting training and 1:1 support
- Access to the Mockingbird Family Model, providing a built-in support network of experienced foster carers, regular peer support, and enhanced stability for fostering families.
- Housing partnership initiatives to help support adult children to move out and free up bedrooms within fostering households.
- 24-hour emergency telephone support
- Tailored support for carers and children from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
- Free holiday clubs and activities for the children in care.
- Access to CAMHS and Virtual Schools team who are on hand to help with young person’s emotional health and educational needs.
- Membership to Fostering Network to access free services such as legal, expert advice, emotional support and additional learning opportunities
- Option to complete the accredited Steps into Fostering course, designed to help prospective foster carers understand the role and prepare for the fostering assessment process.
Become a fostering star!
Our foster carer Afia has been awarded a top fostering award for her dedication. We’re always looking for more inspirational people to join her.
"I came into fostering to make a difference to children, but actually they’ve made a difference to my life. The support I have received from my supervising social worker has been fantastic and Tower
Hamlets has a really great bunch of foster carers who support each other."
Make an enquiry
Foster carers feel highly valued; they receive good support and extensive training focused on meeting the needs of children. Good training opportunities are available in support groups, hubs, and one-to-one during supervisory visits.
Ofsted inspection, June 2019
Be part of the innovative Mockingbird Programme
It’s essential that all foster carers receive 24-hour quality support. But we believe carers need more and that’s why we are committed to rolling out the Fostering Networks’ Mockingbird programme to every foster carer.
This exciting scheme links a group of foster families together so that carers receive extra valuable peer support and respite care where foster children in placement can experience sleepovers.
Foster families regularly get together and experience social activities such as bowling and mini breaks. Foster children soon make friends and find comfort from other children who understand what it’s like to be in care.
"Now we are like a big family. We share things and can use the Mockingbird hub to help with any problems. There’s always a safe and familiar place for my foster children to go."
Foster carer
Celebrate your successes!
Every year, we enjoy a big celebration of our foster carers’ achievements at our annual celebration event. Carers receive gifts, awards are presented and everyone enjoys dinner and music.
It’s just one of the ways we like to say thank you!