No pressure. Just a friendly, honest conversation about fostering.
A home in your community
A welcome for a child. A conversation with your whole family.
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
If you have children of your own, fostering changes their home life too. They may feel excited, curious or unsure about sharing your time and welcoming someone new. Those feelings deserve room in the conversation.
For a family in Bexley, the practical questions might include different school runs, clubs on different days and how everyone keeps some time with you. We want to understand that whole picture before you take the next step.
The child coming to live with you will have their own routines and relationships. Building a family life together means listening to them, as well as to the people already in your home.
Bexley Council’s ‘Children who Foster’ information explicitly recognises the part played by carers’ own children. Its programmes belong to the council, but the question is relevant whichever agency you choose: how will every child in your household be heard and supported?
Local context: Bexley Council: Children who Foster.
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 Bexley
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.
Bexley’s Family Hubs directory lists West Street in Erith and Thamesmead. These are useful starting points for finding family services near you. Look at the current offer and contact the hub to check which sessions suit the ages and needs of the children in your household.
The West Street Family Hub page brings together local support, including routes to Bexley’s SEND Local Offer and schools information. It can help you work out who to ask about a particular question. Check referral and residence requirements with the service and your social worker.
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.
We’ll talk with you about their routines, feelings and relationships as part of understanding your household. Fostering should not be presented as something your children must simply accept. We want you to be able to raise questions about how everyone will be supported.
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.
