An “Outstanding” fostering agency
Find Out About Greater London Fostering
GLF is an independent fostering agency that was founded in 1998. We place a strong emphasis on offering a genuine 24 hour support system to our foster carers. We offer relevant training and competitive financial packages to reward your dedication and commitment to children in your care. We are a friendly team who promotes an active fostering community amongst its staff and carers by running regular events and support groups.
24 hour support
Taking care of foster children can at times be challenging. It is important that you never feel isolated or left to cope on your own. When we say we provide 24 hour support, we mean it.
You will be assigned an assessor once you start the process of applying to become a foster carer with us. You will then be assigned a permanent supervisor once you are approved. Your supervisor helps to place children with you who are most suited to your family. They will support you throughout the time that the child lives with you, whether that be for days or years. They will help you to be the child’s advocate on day-to-day issues as well as when problems arise. They will also help you to foster the child’s cultural and religious identity, as well as accessing services they might need such as specialist health and school amenities.
Unlike some fostering agencies, your own supervisor will be there to help in any emergency, whatever the time of day. We have an out of hours system in place so that if you cannot get hold of your supervisor, there will be someone you can talk to. We also schedule monthly visits to your home. This is a chance to see how things are going and stalk about any issues you have. If you need to see us more than once a month, that can easily be arranged.
Comprehensive training
GLF encourages its carers to view fostering as a profession. We offer a training programme to help you develop the skills needed to deal with all aspects of of caring for a foster child.
You will be asked to undertake a two day training course while you are being assessed as a potential foster carer. This covers the basic skills needed to be a foster carer (Skills To Foster). Once you have been approved you will need to attend another three day training course (Induction) that addresses things such as how to ensure your home is safe, record keeping and finances etc. These training courses will also help you to achieve the standards the government requires. You have to complete this within one year of being approved as a foster carer but your supervisor and GLF will help you every step of the way.
Every month we run training sessions on specific topics of interest such as first aid, managing challenging behaviour and helping children move on.
We also help to advise and support carers who wish to further their professional development by undertaking an NVQ or any other relevant courses of interest.
I've been part of GLF for over 15 years, and it keep growing from strength to strenght.
Fun events throughout the year
GLF likes to create a sense of community amongst its network of foster carers and children so that no one feels isolated or left to cope alone. We place lots of emphasis on arranging fun events throughout the year to which the whole family is invited. Last year’s events were very popular and included trips to Southend, camping breaks, Christmas pantomimes and end of year parties for both adults and children. Life-long friendships have sprung up from attending these events as well as informal carer support groups which are set up and run by foster carers who met at our events. We have set up a children’s council to help us ensure that we’re listening to children. We value every child’s opinion and this council helps us hear their views on the subjects that matter to them. We finish these discussions with a fun activity like bowling or go-karting.
Our quarterly newsletters include photos of our recent events, introduce foster carers that are new to our network and help you get in touch with any that are in your local area. The newsletters also keep you updated on any agency news as well as changes to general fostering practices.
Financial reward
We don’t recommend relying on fostering for a steady income as we cannot guarantee you will always have foster children staying with you. However we feel it is important that carers find fostering both emotionally and financially rewarding. We offer competitive weekly payments for each child you have staying with you. These payments are to cover the extra cost of caring for a child as well as to provide the carer with a financial reward in recognition of the work they do.
You probably have a lot of questions about fostering.
Luckily we have a lot of experience, so can usually answer them honestly. We are really happy to have an informal chat with you, about fostering, whether you are suitable, and what it’s really like. So why not arrange a 15 minute call – we promise you it will save you several hours of searching the internet for answers, plus, we really love talking to people about fostering.
