Foster Carer

Foster Carers are required in County Durham and North East England.

Location: County Durham and North East England
Salary: Up to £426* per week per child you care for
*normally tax free, benefits not normally affected.

At Durham County Council we have more and more children who need a foster family and we are urgently seeking foster carers.

Our children and young people come from very different backgrounds and situations and it is important that we recruit a diverse range of foster carers to meet their needs.

We are particularly looking to recruit carers for:

• Groups of brothers and sisters
• Older children and teenagers
• Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

Our foster carers come from many different backgrounds, cultures and ethnic groups. We work with carers who are: single, married and unmarried, in same sex relationships, retired, employed and unemployed, living in their own homes, bought or rented, families with and without their own children… and many more situations.

Our carers all need to have one thing in common, the ability to listen and empathise, and provide a stable and loving home for the children they foster.
Fostering is a fulfilling and hugely rewarding role and although it can also be exhausting and frustrating at times, most of our foster carers say it is the most satisfying and worthwhile job they have ever done.

We need foster carers for a range of different types of fostering and placements can last for days, months, or years. Some fostered children and young people stay in touch with their foster families long into adulthood.

To become a Foster Carer you must:

• Be over the age of 21
• Have a spare bedroom
• Live permanently or be eligible for settlement (also called indefinite leave to remain) in the UK. If you are eligible for settlement, this means you can stay in the UK without any time restrictions.

In addition to our financial support package, we also offer:

• Specially tailored training, both before you become a foster carer and throughout your time with us.
• A dedicated social worker for you and a separate social worker for the children you care for.
• 24/7 support, every day of the year.
• Access to a range of professional services including specialist nurses, education staff, specialist therapeutic workers, community support workers and an advice and mediation worker for independent support.
• Training and support for your own children alongside access for them to our M8s group where they can meet other children of foster carers.
• A “Freedom Card” to offer discounted family activities.
• Opportunities to attend family activities and local support groups.
• An invitation to our annual award ceremony where we celebrate long service and achievements and the role foster carers’ own children play in the fostering journey.

You have the opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of our children and young people and ensure they have the best opportunities that life can provide. Could you be the reason a child’s life changes?