Councils from across the South East have come together to create the country’s largest local authority fostering partnership, in a bid to increase the number of foster carers across the region.

Slough Borough Council is a proud partner of this national Department for Education (DfE) funded project, with Local Authority Fostering South East being the largest of nine regions taking part in this pilot programme.

With over 11,000 children in care across the South East, and fewer than 3,000 local authority approved foster carers, there is an urgent need to recruit more people to provide safe, loving, and local homes for vulnerable children.

Launching today Monday July 8, Local Authority Fostering South East is a new virtual fostering hub bringing together the expertise of 20 councils from across the region.

The new hub will ensure prospective foster carers have access to a centralised platform for their initial enquiries about fostering and will see local authorities work collaboratively to provide the best support, right from the start of a carer’s fostering journey.

The new regional hub will be running marketing campaigns to raise awareness of this unique role and encourage more people to take the next step and become a foster carer with their local council.

In doing so they will benefit from comprehensive local training, generous financial assistance, and ongoing support from a non-profit organisation.

Prospective foster carers will also benefit from a new fostering ambassador scheme, enabling them to speak to an existing carer to find out what this life-changing role is really like.