Why Foster with West London

Our fostering community is made up of truly passionate, caring and experienced social work staff and carers. If you become a foster carer with Foster with West London, you become part of our fostering community in West London.

Becoming a foster carer can be a hugely rewarding but challenging journey. With us you're never alone - you'll get to meet lots of other foster carers and people who are passionate about transforming the lives of the children in their care.

There are opportunities to develop through training and support. We also hold regular social events for carers to network, create lasting friendships and support one another. To find out more about our support offer

 

Why foster with your Local Authority

If you are thinking of fostering, it can be quite confusing trying to work out what will be the best way forward for you and the children you will care for. Foster carers in the UK can register with either a Local Authority (sometimes referred to as a Council) or an independent fostering agency (IFA).

Whether you choose to foster with a Local Authority or with an IFA, you will still be changing children's lives, but there are many compelling reasons why you should foster for your Local Authority:

Keeping children local - Local Authorities are local, whereas independent fostering agencies can be regional or even national, meaning agency foster carers may have children placed with them from different towns, cities and villages.

Coming into care is very unsettling for a child. Having to move to an unfamiliar area can make this trauma worse, especially as it can involve a very long journey to and from school. They may not be able to see friends and family as easily, or continue with hobbies and clubs they may be involved in. Local Authority foster carers will have local children placed with them, which generally leads to much more positive outcomes for the children.

Local training and support - Local Authorities provide a wide range of support and training delivered locally in your community, including facilitating a network of peer-to-peer support groups and social events over the course of the year to enable you to share your experience and connect with other carers.

Shorter gaps between children's placements - Local Authorities will always try and match children with their own carers first, as they have recruited, assessed and trained them and therefore know how well they will be able to meet the needs of children that need to be fostered. Local Authority foster carers will also be local, so are able to keep children close to their friends, family and school, and therefore will often have more frequent placements than agency foster carers.