edinburgh fostering allowance

Fostering in
East Scotland

We’ve been carefully matching children in care with incredible foster carers for over 25 years and are proud to support them in their journey.

Start your fostering journey

Edinburgh and East of Scotland Fostering Agency

Could you open your door to a child? We’re looking for kind-hearted and passionate individuals to become foster carers in Scotland, and provide a nurturing home to a child or young person in care.

We support foster families, children and young people living in the City of Edinburgh, Stirling, Falkirk, Lothian, Clackmannanshire, Fife, Dundee, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and more. 

As well as receiving extensive training and support, and a generous weekly fostering payment of up to £572 per child, you’ll benefit from an extremely rewarding career that transforms the lives of children in your local community.

If you’re interested in joining our Edinburgh and East of Scotland fostering team, or would like more information about fostering, speak to our friendly team today.

By phone

Call us at:
0800 369 8512

Out of hours:
03332 205041

Your local team

Liberty House
15 Cromarty Campus
Rosyth
KY11 2YB

Care Inspectorate report

Read our latest report here

Duty of Candour

View here

What is fostering?

Fostering means offering your home to provide a safe, loving family environment for a vulnerable child. Foster homes are needed because there are times when it’s not possible or safe for children to stay with their birth families.

We provide many different types of fostering, including short-term (up to 2 years), long-term (until the child turns 18), emergency and respite placements. We also provide staying put placements for young people aged 18-21, and more specialist foster care placements, such as parent and child fostering and caring for children with disabilities or those seeking asylum.

Your role as a foster carer will involve caring for a child and carrying out typical parenting tasks. You will help support them to heal from difficult past experiences, as well as facilitating contact with birth parents and siblings. You will also attend training and meetings, and keep records of your foster child’s progress.

ENQUIRE NOW

Generous payments

We offer a fostering allowance of up to £2,290 (tax free) per month, per child, plus holiday and birthday payments, and many other benefits.

Full support package

You'll be connected to the support you need 24/7, ranging from a dedicated social worker, regular support groups and social events, and an out of hours service.

Specialist training

We offer full, personalised training - online and in-person - from teaching the basics to advanced courses, to help you develop your skills as a foster parent.

Excellent outcomes

With all offices rated 'Good' by The Care Inspectorate, we pride ourselves on quality and being a fostering agency families and children can rely on.

Shona's fostering story

Shona is a foster carer based in Glasgow. She's been fostering for several years, alongside her job as a Primary Teacher, and has found many transferable skills from teaching that have helped her in her fostering role. She has provided over 45 foster care placements, and is currently caring for two children on a long term basis.

Read more

Who can become a
foster carer?

The main requirements to foster a child are:

  • Aged over 21 years (no upper age limit)
  • Have a spare bedroom
  • Have the legal right to work in the UK

You do not need any experience or qualifications, as full training is given – but it’s important to be passionate about wanting to make a difference to children’s lives.

There are also no requirements regarding background or family circumstances. Foster parents can be single, gay, married or straight and we encourage applicants from all ethnic backgrounds to join our fostering team.

Speak to us today if you have any questions.

The fostering process

Step 1 - Enquire

To find out more about fostering, you just need to complete our enquiry form (or call us on 0800 369 8512) and we’ll chat through everything. Whether you’re just looking for more information or you’re ready to apply, our team are here to help.

Step 2 - Home visit

If you're happy to proceed, we'll arrange to visit you to share more information and answer any of your questions.

Step 3 - Application & Assessment

Once you’re ready to apply, you'll complete an application and we'll carry out our checks and complete our Form F assessment. The whole process generally takes between 4-6 months.

Step 4 - Approval

Once your assessment is complete, you'll attend a panel meeting. We'll discuss your application and you’ll then be officially approved as a foster carer.

Get in touch

fostering edinburgh

Proud of the outcomes we achieve

All our offices are rated 'Excellent' or 'Very Good' by the Care Inspectorate, demonstrating our commitment to providing the best outcomes to children and families we support. We achieve successful, stable foster care placements through building strong relationships with our foster families; by understanding their strengths, vulnerabilities, family dynamics and training and support requirements, we’re able to carefully match their skillset with the needs of a child.

Successful outcomes always start with the quality of the matching – and we take extra care when placing a child with a family to ensure a positive and rewarding experience for all.

#KeepingthePromise

"Our ethos at Fosterplus is very much around providing continuity to the children and young people we care for, so they feel safe, secure and able to build nurturing relationships with their foster families while maintaining positive connections with their birth family too.

We achieve this by carefully matching children and young people with foster parents who can meet their individual needs and provide a loving home for as long as it's needed. We also ensure that our foster parents receive the support they need to overcome challenges and establish long-lasting relationships with the children they care for.

We're fully committed to #KeepingthePromise and are working hard to make ongoing enhancements to the services we deliver to children and young people in our care." Chrise Grundy Hoban, Head of Operations 

Find out more

Speak to our team

Whether you’re ready to apply or just want to find out more, get in touch with us today





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