At Focus Foster Care. We are proud to support all of our foster carers to provide the best possible care for the children and young people that they look after. Part of this support includes a membership to foster talk. Foster talk was set up in 2004 and is recognised as the go to organisation for fostering advice, practical guidance and independent support for both foster carers and fostering services.

We understand that fostering can be challenging and many carers may be learning as they go. To best support our team of carers on their fostering journey, we believe having access to the professionals at Foster Talk can be highly beneficial.

If you are new to the world of foster care and have never heard of Foster Talk before, keep reading to find out the many benefits of this membership.

What is included with a Foster Talk membership?

Here at Focus, we do our best to support every single one of our fostering families. We offer a 24/7 support line and our small team of staff get to know every single person involved in our fostering team. However, sometimes, you may need a little extra guidance or information and this is where the Foster Talk membership can help.

The phrase ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ also applies to foster care. We believe the bigger your support network the better the outcomes for everybody involved. We want your fostering journey to be a success and this is why we provide everyone who joins our fostering team with a Foster Talk membership. 

The benefits of a foster talk membership include:

• legal expenses insurance cover
• arrest and interview assistance 
• 24 hour legal advice helpline
• tax and accountancy helpline
• 24 hour counseling helpline
• 24 hour medical information helpline
• education support helpline
• social Work Support helpline
• personal finance advice
• quarterly fostering magazine
• access to 1000s of leisure discounts.

A Foster Talk membership isn’t a guarantee when you foster, not all independent fostering agencies offer their carers this invaluable support. We are proud to be able to offer this service to everyone on our fostering team.

All of our foster carers have a whole host of experienced professionals on hand to support them throughout the ups and downs of foster family life.

Every fostering family is different and the knowledgeable team at Foster Talk will be able to offer the best advice for your specific circumstances. They also provide free online events and can help with financial obligations, such as tax returns.

Join Our Team of Foster Carers

If you are considering becoming a foster carer and you live in the West Midlands please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Focus Foster Care team. We are currently recruiting caring and committed individuals and couples to our fostering family and we would love to hear from you. 

Foster carers in the UK must meet the following criteria.

• have a spare bedroom 
• must be over 21 years of age 
• must have an ability to drive or have regular access to reliable public transport
• must have some experience of looking after children (this does not have to mean you have to have been employed in the childcare sector)
• must be committed to participating in regular training and growing your set of caring skills

We are a diverse team and would love to hear from people from all walks of life and different backgrounds. We will provide you with the best possible support so you can focus on delivering exceptional care to the children you are looking after.

To learn more about foster talk visit www.fostertalk.org. Details about training resources and the benefits of a Foster Talk membership can all be found on their website. If you would like to talk to the Focus Foster Care team about becoming a foster carer, please call 0800-524-4797 or fill in our online contact form. 

We look forward to hearing from you and working together to change the lives of children across the West Midlands.