Transfer Fostering Agency
If you are already a Foster Carer with another agency you can transfer to foster with us. We will ‘fast track,’ your application if you are already an approved foster carer.
Here are some of the benefits of existing foster carers becoming Waltham Forest foster carers with our award winning team;
- Our offer which includes payment of up to £519 per week (or will match your weekly allowance for Waltham Forest child placements if it is more) and up to 66 per cent discount off your Council Tax bill when you join us, if you are a Waltham Forest resident, or an annual payment toward your Council Tax if you live outside of the Borough, a free parking permit if you live within a CPZ in Waltham Forest and a great support network of Waltham Forest foster carers offering friendship and learning.
- We have a large number of looked after children in Waltham Forest. This means if you join us you are more likely to have higher occupancy levels and less time between placements.
- You can choose from more training courses including virtual reality films, to improve your skills and build your career.
- You will work directly with experienced professionals in a single children's services department. This means a holistic approach to care with quicker and smoother access to services benefitting both yourself and the children you care for.
- If you live in Waltham Forest or a neighbouring Borough (including Hackney, Havering, Newham and Redbridge), we are on your doorstep. This gives you easy access to support and training as well as local schools and meetings for the children you care for.
- Waltham Forest Council do not make any profit from fostering, unlike private fostering agencies that run as a business to maximise profit for shareholders. We are dedicated to achieving the best care for our children. It is a myth that independent fostering agencies always pay their foster carers a higher allowance. With Waltham Forest you receive the same fee as through an agency but would save money for the council in the fees we pay for the agencies service. Please read BBC News articles; 'Alarm bells over private equity foster care firms, councils warn, ' and 'CMA study found large private sector providers of fostering appeared to be making higher profits than would be expected in a well functioning market.'
- The opportunity to benefit from the Fostering Network Mockingbird model. The programme uses the concept of a constellation, where six to ten satellite families live in close proximity to a dedicated hub home which provides peer support, planned and emergency respite care and regular social activities. The aim is for the hub to replicate the variations of types of families and age ranges of children that operate within an average extended family. The Mocking Bird Family Model helps to take good care of the people who take care of vulnerable children and young people.
Read more about why you should foster for your local council.
We will fast track your application if you are an existing carer with or without children placed.
We will accept you with children placed by other authorities for the length of their placement. All transfers will follow the Fostering Network Transfer protocol.
To transfer to us please call 020 8496 3437, email us or register online to discuss your individual circumstances.