Why foster with Tower Hamlets?
We offer comprehensive support, training opportunities and payments to help you care for children.
We offer comprehensive support, training opportunities and payments to help you care for children.
Why foster with Tower Hamlets?
Why foster with Tower Hamlets?
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.
The fostering role is hugely rewarding but we also recognise that it can often be challenging and therefore offer a wide range of benefits, training and support to help you including a payment worth 50% of your annual council tax bill, a 2 week paid holiday, membership to the Fostering Network and Tower Hamlets ' Foster Carers' Association, a £1000 bonus
for carers who successfully refer someone in becoming a foster carer with us and yearly excursion opportunities to the beach and the pantomime and so much more.
Competitive fees
Competitive fees
We offer competitive fostering fees and allowances of up to £850 per week for the specialist role. Fees paid are to cover the cost of looking after a child along with a reward element. Rates vary depending on the number of children you care for and their ages. Rates of pay increase as you complete further training and become better skilled. We also pay enhanced rates to foster carers who look after children with more complex needs.
All foster carers need to register as self- employed with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. There is no effect on Income Support if people register as self- employed foster carers, as any income received from fostering is not taken into account.For more information visit www.gov.uk/foster-carers
All foster carers need to register as self- employed with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. There is no effect on Income Support if people register as self- employed foster carers, as any income received from fostering is not taken into account.For more information visit www.gov.uk/foster-carers
Quality support
Quality support
As well as having a dedicated supervising social worker who will be on hand to support you as you your fostering career, you will have access to round the clock support as we recognise that emergencies don’t just happen during office hours.
Lots of our foster carers also enjoy meeting up on a regular basis at various support groups to talk about different issues and offer advice, helping each other. Carers also receive mentoring support from highly experienced foster carers.
Lots of our foster carers also enjoy meeting up on a regular basis at various support groups to talk about different issues and offer advice, helping each other. Carers also receive mentoring support from highly experienced foster carers.
Comprehensive training opportunities
We have lots of training opportunities for our foster carers. Our training programmes are organised by our dedicated training coordinator and your supervising social worker can help you identify the right courses for you. Courses are held over weekends and evenings as well asd uring the day to enable all foster carers to have the opportunity to attend. You will also have access to a variety of online courses
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 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.”
“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!
Celebrate your successes!
Every year, we enjoy a big celebration of our foster carers’ achievements at our annual dinner and dance. Carers receive gifts, awards are presented, and everyone enjoys a three-course dinner and a dance. It’s just one of the ways we like to say thank you!