Sponsored Editorial

People decide to become foster carers for lots of reasons, with the most popular one being ‘to give a child and/or young person a chance in life’.

Coming into care can be unsettling for a child and having to move to an unfamiliar area can make it worse. They might not be able to see their friends and family as easily as before, changes in routine, or they will have to discontinue with hobbies and clubs they may be involved in.

Medway Council Fostering’s priority is to improve the stability of placements and the care experience for children and young people in care within Medway.

Because of this, they do everything they can to make sure that the children and young people in their care are placed with foster carers locally, in Medway and surrounding areas. They aim to ensure that those children receive the best start in life so they can reach their full potential within a foster family environment.

Medway Council Fostering are actively recruiting residents and transfers who can offer security and a welcoming home to a looked after child. You can foster, regardless of your age, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and religion. You may also be able to foster if you have pets, a disability, have children living at home, are a homeowner, or a private or social housing tenant.

People have also become foster carers with backgrounds from many different professions, such as solicitors, counselling, teaching, nursing, accountancy, and emergency services, like the police and ambulance staff, which provide the skillsets that can enhance your ability to foster.

Fostering enables you the opportunity to make a difference in children’s lives, whilst still having a career and to work from home.

To become a Medway Foster carer, you must...

• have a spare bedroom for a foster child to use and make their own
• be over 21 years old to foster (no upper age limit)
• have at least one main carer based at home

You should also...

• be driver with access to a car
• be a British Citizen or have indefinite leave to remain in the UK
• offer a smoke-free environment
• be fit and healthy
• not have a birth child under the age of one years old
• live in Medway or within a 20-mile radius

Find out more

If you have been considering fostering but are not sure of where to start, or the questions to ask, the professional foster carer benefits Medway Council Fostering offer, get in touch with the team today and let them talk you through the process or answer any questions you might have.

Someone from the team will be in touch for an informal chat at a time more suited to your schedule.

Telephone: 01634 335726 / Email: fcrecruitment@medway.gov.uk / Online enquiry form: https://www.medway.gov.uk/xfp/form/431 / For regular service updates, you can also view Medway Council Fostering's Facebook page or their official website.