Leave a gift in your will

There are three main types of gift you can leave in your will:

• A residuary gift is a percentage of your estate leftover after your specified gifts and items have been distributed. Many people prefer to give a residuary gift because it keeps in line with inflation and does not lose value over time.
• A pecuniary gift is a fixed amount of money. The effects of inflation means that this type of gift could lose value over time.
• A specific gift is a gift of a specified item such as a personal possession, land, buildings or stocks and shares.

We understand that your loved ones come first. Leaving a residuary gift to The Fostering Network means that we receive a percentage of funds leftover after your friends and family have been provided for.

It is an effective way of ensuring your loved ones are looked after in the way you intended as well as supporting our vital work.

Your gift will ensure we can continue to support foster carers to transform children and young people’s lives across the UK into the future.

With your generous gift we will:

• ensure that all our foster carer members get the support and advice they need through our helplines, training and resources
• support the recruitment of foster carers through our annual Foster Care Fortnight campaign
• campaign for governments to ensure fostering is prioritised and supported
• pilot new models of foster care to encourage best practice
• make it easier for children who move on to maintain their relationship with their former foster carers if they would like to
• challenge the myths and stigma surrounding foster care, ensuring children and young people’s voices are heard
• celebrate the vital role of the whole fostering family, including the sons and daughters of foster carers who welcome children into their homes
• increase awareness and raise the profile of fostering.

When you use Farewill to create your will and leave a gift, Farewill will make sure your gift is linked to our charity.

If you’re using your own solicitor and wish to include The Fostering Network in your will, please ask your solicitor to use our charity name, registered charity number and address details below to ensure our charity is legally identified.

The Fostering Network, a registered charity in England and Wales 280852 and in Scotland SC039338. Registered in England and Wales as a limited company no. 1507277

Our registered office is 87 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8HA.

It is important to keep your will up to date, especially as your circumstances, family and wishes may change over the years.

Never physically write on your will, as this will invalidate it. Major changes may call for a new will, which is usually easier to arrange the second time round. Minor additions can be made using a separate document called a codicil, which must be signed and witnessed as with the will, though the witnesses need not be the same. It must be kept with the will but not attached to it.

Giving to a cause that you wish to support, such as The Fostering Network, can be done by adding a codicil to an existing will. Always seek professional legal advice, either from Farewill or your own solicitor.

Farewill have a comprehensive data security policy and will protect your data. Access to sensitive data is restricted to only those employees who need it to perform their roles. No sensitive data will be passed to the charity without your permission.

Please see Farewill’s privacy policy for more details.