The first step to becoming a foster carer is to decide on a fostering service.
Not all fostering services are the same - what they offer in terms of support, training and a financial package may differ - so it’s important to ask questions of any fostering service you are thinking of applying to.
You should do some asking around locally to find out which services people recommend. You can also use our Find a Fostering Service to identify fostering services in your area. You will most likely want to choose a service geographically close to you because you will need to attend meetings with your service and take the child or young person to meet their birth family; the child or young person will probably be attending a school where their service is based and it will usually be better for them to stay at their existing school.
Once you have identified some possible fostering services, you should contact them to have an initial discussion about fostering. First impressions are important, so pay attention to how well your initial inquiry is handled - does the fostering service get back to you when they said they would, and do they seem enthusiastic about your enquiry?
