Fostering Friendly Employers Scheme | The Fostering Network

The Fostering Network’s Fostering Friendly Employers scheme offers businesses of any size a chance to make a difference for foster carers and the children they care for in their local communities while improving support for their own employees.

Nearly 40 per cent of foster carers combine fostering with other work. Those who do, tell us a supportive employer can make all the difference, enabling them to balance employment with looking after children. You can read more in our report Combining Fostering and Other Work.

How to become a Fostering Friendly Employer

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About the scheme

Our Fostering Friendly Employers’ scheme helps employers to support and recognise the roles of their employees who foster. Members of the scheme agree to put in place a fostering friendly HR policy for all foster carers in their employment (regardless of their fostering service). This involves no direct costs and includes offering foster carers flexible working and paid time off for training and settling a new child into their home.

Fostering Friendly Employers also help promote Foster Care Fortnight™, our annual campaign to raise the profile of fostering and highlight the need for more people to become foster carers.

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Support for employers

Our Fostering Friendly team gives employers all the advice and support they need to join the scheme. The Fostering Network is a Fostering Friendly employer and we can share a template HR policy. Get in touch with fosteringfriendly@fostering.net to find out more.

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Benefits for employers

Once you are approved, you can display your Fostering Friendly logo with pride.
We publish a list of Fostering Friendly employers and will help promote and celebrate your new status.
Fostering Friendly employers can improve support for staff, making workplaces friendlier for foster carers, benefiting the children in their care and also making it easier for people to consider fostering.
You will share in the celebration of foster care and the vital role it has in transforming children’s lives.
Every year we present a Fostering Friendly employer with a prestigious Fostering Excellence Award.