Why foster?

Join us. Foster for East Midlands represents local authority foster care across Derby, Nottingham, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. From March 2024, we are joining together for the first time to recruit more foster carers and improve your journey and the outcomes for the children you care for.

We're offering prospective foster carers increased levels of support through the creation of specialised support hubs. We've committed to sharing resources for the benefit of children and fostering families and we're enhancing the pioneering Mockingbird programme within every local council area. Will you join us?

Fostering for us means you are helping children in your local area. As a non-profit organisation, we aim to place children with our own foster carers before contacting other agencies. All of our foster carers receive an exceptional benefits, support and training package.

We have a dedicated Fostering Recruitment Team who work to recruit new foster carers and support them through the initial process of enquiring to foster. Find out more about how to become a foster carer.

Every penny of the money available to us is spent on fostering when we place children with our own foster carers - none of it is sliced off into business profits like it does when we have to place children with a fostering agency.

Since 2011 the number of children in need of foster care in the UK has been rising while the number of registered foster carers has declined - in fact there are a third (33%) less approved foster carers than one year ago.

With the recruitment of more foster carers, children will be able to remain in the local area nearer to familiar surroundings. Children and young people won't need to wait as long to find the right home to meet their needs or a place where they can stay without being separated from their brothers and sisters.

We need foster carers for all types of fostering and from different backgrounds. By working collaboratively across the region, together we can positively change the lives of children in our communities.

• Support, collaboration and a community that cares
• The opportunity to shape a child's life. In your role as a foster carer you can contribute to a child’s lifestyle, interests, personality, language, culture and unforgettable moments - giving them all the opportunities they need to make the best of their lives
• Our foster carers tell us they like the excellent support and training opportunities. Feeling valued and getting support gives them satisfaction and makes them feel like they’re having a really positive impact
• If you're supporting a local child, we'll support you. We’ll make sure you have everything you need to give the best possible support to the young people in your care. This includes extensive training before you have a child placed with you, and regular contact with dedicated case workers and other professionals
• We also provide ongoing professional development so you can continue to develop your skills and be the best possible foster carer for the children in your care