Why foster with GCC?

Every mile matters. The need for local foster carers has never been greater. By fostering in your own community, you will help protect children’s sense of identity, stability, and wellbeing — especially during a time of major change in their lives.

The support offered by the GCC fostering service is first rate. Importantly, help is available 24/7 which is something we view as a necessity for foster home stability not a luxury. Help at any time of the day is crucial for foster carers due to the demanding and sometimes unpredictable nature of fostering. Local councils are often better positioned to provide support compared with independent fostering agencies (IFAs).

GCC offers a comprehensive programme of training throughout your fostering journey and, importantly, it is all delivered either in Gloucestershire or online from the comfort of your own home. You will have many opportunities to grow and challenge yourself with courses including therapeutic care, safeguarding and first aid.

We know that the majority of foster carers didn’t apply because of the payments related to the role. However, we’d like to reassure you that fostering won’t leave you out of pocket. Whilst we don’t pay a salary, we do recognise the challenging and professional nature of fostering and ensure our highly competitive payments reflect this.

We feel it is important to address the issue of profit made from children in care by many private fostering agencies. We believe there is an impact on public funding and ethical considerations when profit is made from childhood trauma.

Within GCC’s fostering service, we know fostering is a family decision, and all birth children of foster carers are therefore highly valued and recognised as a crucial part of the fostering team. We believe birth children play a unique and powerful role in supporting fostered children

Gloucestershire County Council has fully embraced the ‘Mockingbird’ model of fostering. Mockingbird, established n the UK in 2015 by The Fostering Network, is based around the concept ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ and the support and relationships an extended family typically provides. Mockingbird was designed to improve foster home stability, strengthen relationships, and increase retention among foster carers—all while providing better outcomes for children.

We hold appreciation events for our foster carers because they deserve recognition, celebration and support for the vital role they play in the lives of children and young people. Celebrating our foster carers is not just an empty gesture for us, it is a meaningful investment.

If there’s one thing we know our foster carers love to do – that’s talk about fostering! If you are a Gloucestershire County Council foster carer (or employee), you will receive £1,000 for anyone that you refer to the fostering service who goes on to be a approved as a foster carer. 

We are proud to partner with 14 other local authorities, from Isles of Scilly to Bournemouth as part of a regional fostering recruitment hub – Fostering South West