No pressure. Just a friendly, honest conversation about fostering.
A home in your community
One child. Several people working together. A home that holds it all together day to day.
Thinking about fostering? We’re an independent, family-run agency supporting carers across the borough. Let’s talk about what it could look like for you.
Family-owned and run. Since 1998.
The ordinary things.
They can mean everything.
Fostering where you live
Fostering brings new people into family life: your supervising social worker, the child’s social worker, education staff and sometimes other specialists. Understanding their roles can make support feel more personal and less confusing.
For a family in Richmond, you may also see the name Achieving for Children on local information. It is worth knowing how council children’s services fit alongside your fostering agency and the school a child attends.
At home, your part is not to manage every service yourself. It is to get to know the child, offer care and stability, and share what you notice. We’ll be there for those conversations, including when something needs to be followed up.
Richmond Council explains that Achieving for Children provides children’s services, including social care, education and health services. Its SEND information points to the shared Kingston and Richmond Local Offer. GLF remains your separate, independent fostering agency with its own support for carers.
Local context: Richmond Council: Achieving for Children.
A child’s needs come first. Staying local is valuable when it is right for them—not a promise that every child will be from your area.
You’re part of our team
Your supervising social worker gets to know you, your family and the child in your care. Someone to share the good days with—and someone to call on the difficult ones.
Training that understands family life
School runs, work, appointments and everything that goes into a family day. Finding time to learn matters—but it helps when you don’t have to add a journey across London.
Our Skills to Foster preparation training, weekly training and monthly support groups all take place online via Zoom. You can join from home, without travelling to an office or finding somewhere to park.
It’s still time together: asking questions, sharing ideas and learning alongside other carers. Being online can make attending easier to fit around a busy life; it doesn’t mean having to work things out on your own.
Online training, personal support. Your social worker still visits you face to face at least monthly, calls at least weekly and is there by phone 24/7.
Life in Richmond upon Thames
These local starting points can help you plan and ask useful questions. The right service depends on the child’s circumstances, the council responsible for them and each service’s own access arrangements.
Richmond’s SEND page directs families to the Achieving for Children Local Offer for education, health and social care from birth to 25. It also links to SEND contact information. Use the relevant child’s circumstances and care arrangements to check which team and services apply.
Richmond’s children’s-services contact page distinguishes family information, admissions, SEND and other teams. That is useful when a practical query is being passed around. Follow the route for the subject you need help with; general questions should not be sent to safeguarding services simply because they appear on the same page.
These are local public or community services, separate from GLF. Information checked in September 2026; see each service’s own website for current details. Availability, eligibility and any funding must be checked with the relevant service and the child’s social worker.
The practical side
It’s a sensible question to ask. These are GLF’s weekly payments per child while they are in your care.
Enhancements may be paid where a child’s individual needs warrant them. We’ll explain what applies to your circumstances when we speak.
Weekly payments from GLF
Clear figures. A conversation about your family.
One step at a time
You may have been thinking about fostering for years. Or something in your life may only recently have made it feel possible.
We’ll start by listening. Then, if you want to go further, we’ll help you understand each stage.
Talk through your questions and what fostering might mean for your household. No commitment to apply.
An initial visit gives us time to explore your home life and the support you might need.
Live preparation training on Zoom helps you understand the role and the experiences children bring with them. No journey to a training venue.
A social worker works with you through the application, conversations and checks.
Your assessment goes to panel for a recommendation, followed by the agency’s approval decision.
A few things you may be wondering
There’s no perfect starting point and no question too small.
Your GLF supervising social worker supports and supervises you as a foster carer and gets to know your household. The child’s social worker is involved in their care plan and decisions about their life. The two roles work alongside one another, and we’ll help you understand who to contact.
Yes. You can enquire directly with us. GLF is an independent, family-owned and run fostering agency, not the council’s fostering service. We’ll explain our assessment, support and payments so you can decide whether we feel right for you.
Skills to Foster, weekly training and monthly support groups are all online via Zoom, so there’s no travel to a venue. You’ll need time to participate and a private space to join. This is separate from your SSW’s face-to-face visits, which happen at least monthly. Read about learning with GLF.
Yes, renting does not rule you out. You’ll need a suitable, stable home with a spare bedroom for a child. We can talk through your housing situation with you.
No. We’ll explore the experience and strengths you already have, and what you may need to learn. Preparation training and ongoing support are part of fostering with GLF.
Not necessarily. GLF works across London. We consider the individual child’s needs and your household when discussing who you could care for; a local address alone does not decide that. School journeys, important relationships and time with family all need to be considered as part of that conversation.
It usually takes several months. The training, checks and assessment take time, and the pace will depend on your circumstances. We’ll explain the likely next steps when we speak.
Yes, we welcome conversations with experienced carers who are considering a change. We’ll talk through your situation and what a transfer would involve. Read about transferring to GLF.
Take the first step
Leave your name and number and our fostering team will call you back. It is simply a chance to ask questions and see what feels right.
Not ready to talk?
Keep exploring in whichever way feels most comfortable.
