The Newcastle Fostering service provides secure and safe foster families for children and young people who cannot live with their birth families and have come into care through no fault of their own.
At Newcastle City Council, we understand what it takes to be a foster carer. We will provide you with the right support and a dedicated team around you, so that together we can make an extraordinary difference to the lives of local children.
We provide extensive financial, emotional, and social support for you and the children you care for. Should the child or young person have additional health, educational or social needs, you will receive support from other specialised teams.
We are keen to talk to anyone interested in becoming a foster carer, answer your questions and help you with the next steps. Find out more about what makes Newcastle Fostering Service unique below:
How we support our foster carers
Newcastle Fostering Service will support foster carers in a range of ways, here are just some of the things we have to offer:
Financial support
In addition to receiving regular payments and allowances our foster carers can enjoy discounts from high street shops and restaurants through foster carer discount cards such as the Blue Light and MAX cards.
Foster carers can also access an employee savings app called Vivup which provides discounts across various shops and restaurants.
Fostering supervising social worker
All foster carers have a dedicated Supervising Social Worker who provides support, advice, and access to internal and external services including our specialist psychotherapist team, Future Focus. They will work closely with you to ensure your have a great fostering experience, enjoy your role and are feeling supported.
Specialist Future Focus team
Our Future Focus team is made up of Peer Support workers, Psychologists, Advanced Practitioners and Speech and Language Therapists. The team works with those who have existing relationships with the children and young people (i.e. social workers, foster carers). They help foster carers understand what has happened to the young person, what is happening now and how they can be supported moving forward.
Around the clock advice
Newcastle Fostering Service has a dedicated duty team, available during the day and out of hours offering 24/7 support for foster carers.
Our foster carer out of hours number can also be used to provide access to additional help and advice from one of our own experienced foster carers at any time.
Family events and social activities
We offer a calendar of family activities, holiday events and social events for both you and the children you care for. Newcastle Fostering Service also works alongside Fostering Under Newcastle (FUN) a registered charity that was established by Newcastle foster carers. They provide exciting events and support for our carers, discounted caravan holidays, frequent coffee mornings and children's parties.
Dedicated training
Newcastle Fostering Service offers year-round training, with specialised training coordinators. Our training covers many areas such as Safer Care, Managing Behaviour, Resilience and Trauma, and Social Media and Safety. Foster carers can also suggest areas of training they need, and the training schedule is regularly updated to reflect the needs of foster carers.
Mockingbird
We offer an innovative fostering model called Mockingbird. Mockingbird, led by The Fostering Network in the UK, delivers sustainable foster care. It is an evidence-based model structured around the support and relationships an extended family provides. The model nurtures the relationships between children, young people and foster families and supports them to build a resilient and caring community. We are continuing to grow this model and offer this fostering model to all our foster carers.
What our foster carers say about us
I can pick up the phone at any time to get whatever support I need from the Council, whether this is advice, medical help or just to have someone to talk to. It's never lonely and the benefits far outweigh the challenges.
Margaret Watson, One of Newcastle City Council's longest running foster carers and was recently awarded an MBE for her commitment to the role and for her services to children.
