Medway Council Fostering

10/06/2026

You might not need to have a driving license and/or access to a vehicle to be a foster carer. However, it will depend on your own circumstances.

Fostering comes with responsibilities including taking a child to and from school and to any clubs and events they might have, picking up a child from school early if they are unwell, looking after a child during school holidays, etc. Children in care also have a required number of medical appointments they must attend a year and will likely need be taken to meetings with professionals and with their birth family. We will need to feel confident that you will be able to meet these commitments. Perhaps you:

-Have good transport links in your area, particularly if you live near a bus stop with a regular route, e.g. the 101
-Have the support of a partner/sibling/parent, etc. who can drive and has access to a vehicle (we would consider them a secondary carer)
-Are interested in fostering teenagers (who will be more independent) or you are interested in becoming a supported homes host, which involves much less commitment as the young person you host would manage their own travel to their workplace/university, etc.

We are more than happy to chat to you about whether fostering would work for you and your lifestyle before you make an enquiry. Contact us today on 0300 1312797.

09/06/2026

We are excited to be at Chatham Carnival with a stand to promote fostering. We will have plenty of activities and goodies to take away at our stand. We hope to see you!

Thank you for having Pentagon Shopping Centre and Nucleus Arts.

🎭 Chatham Carnival Returns on Saturday 4th July! 🎭

Join us on Saturday 4th July as Chatham Carnival returns to the town centre for a day of live entertainment, community activities and family fun.

Throughout Chatham High Street, visitors can enjoy live music, performances, demonstrations and stalls showcasing local organisations, community groups and projects from across Medway. The day will also mark the launch of the MedFringe Festival, including previews from the new musical Kit!.

Here at Pentagon Shopping Centre, we'll be hosting:
🎨 Free Mask-Making Workshops for Families
🛍️ Pentagon Food & Craft Market featuring local traders

Tickets for the free mask-making workshops will be released at midday on 22nd June, so keep an eye on our page for booking details.

Meanwhile, at Nucleus Arts, you can enjoy:
🧱 Free Lego & Art Club activities
🎨 Open Studios, where you can meet local artists and see them at work
At 12 noon, the community parade will make its way along the High Street, bringing together local groups, performers and sports clubs in a celebration of Medway's community spirit.

All activities are free to enjoy, making it a great day out for families and visitors of all ages.
For more information about the carnival, visit the official event page:https://www.facebook.com/share/1DwWVj7Rvu/

We look forward to welcoming you to Chatham Carnival and seeing the town come together for another fantastic community event.

08/06/2026

We attended Medway Adult Education Centre's Summer Fayre on Saturday with a fostering stand full of activities.

The rainy weather didn't dampen spirits and there was a real buzz on the day that we were very happy to be part of! Our Foster for Medway balloons brought cheer to children in attendance, and we also ran our scratch card activity and a new activity, a fun snap game with facts about fostering.

Thank you very much for having us. Medway Adult Education

05/06/2026

If you are looking after a child in your family, you might be a kinship carer, and you might be entitled to financial support. Thanks to a Kinship Allowance Pilot we are now proud to be part of, we can provide payments to eligible kinship carers.

Participants in the Kinship Allowance Pilot will received payments exempt from tax, not means tested, matched to the national minimum fostering rates, and can claim child benefits.

We also help kinship carers by providing guidance and a listening ear.

Find out if you are eligible to join the pilot, and to make an application, visit: Medway.gov.uk/KinshipCare.

04/06/2026

Give a child in care a home... and gain love in return. 💞

Could you foster? We are looking for new foster carers in Medway. We need people who have:

-Patience, kindness and compassion
-Are over the age of 21 (there is no upper age limit to foster) and in general good health
-Have at least one spare room in their home (unless fostering babies and toddlers)
-Have a driver's license with access to a vehicle (unless they can let us know how they might take child to school and their appointments, which could be making use of good transport links in their area or being supported by a friend/partner/family member.)

In return, you'll receive:
-generous payments for your work & discount on your council tax
-comprehensive training that will help your professional development
-support from your supervising social worker all the way
-opportunities to meet other foster carers and join social events
-the love of a child, which is priceless!

Go to https://orlo.uk/Z49XT to find out more.

02/06/2026

We were delighted to work with BBC Bitesize on this feature about becoming a foster parent for Caring Matters Week. 🙌

In the article, our Chief Executive Sarah Thomas answers some common questions those thinking about fostering might have, including:

• Who can become a foster carer
• How to take the first steps towards becoming a foster carer
• The type of training needed for prospective foster carers
• How long the process takes to become a foster carer

Caring Matters is a week long spotlight on caring across the BBC, shining a light on the different experiences of carers and the role they play in families and communities across the UK. 💡

Read more ⬇️

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zqqj46f

01/06/2026

We know you might not want to give up work to foster. There are many foster carers in Medway and around the UK who also work full-time!🙌👩‍💼 Whether fostering while being in employment will be possible for you will depend on the kind of work you do, the hours you work, flexibility of your employer, and more.

Fostering comes with responsibilities including taking a child to and from school and to any clubs and events they might have, picking up a child from school early if they are unwell, looking after a child during school holidays, etc. Children in care also have a required number of medical appointments they must attend a year and will likely need be taken to meetings with professionals and with their birth family. With all of this in mind, fostering might not be for you if your role does not allow for flexibility, if you work above average or irregular hours, travel regularly for work, etc.

However, fostering might be possible for you if any of these apply to you:
-You have a role that allows for flexibility or working from home
-Your employer is fostering friendly and/or your manager knows you are thinking about fostering
-You are interested in looking after teenagers or helping a young adult
-You have the support of a partner/sibling/parent, etc. (we would consider them a secondary carer)

We are more than happy to chat to you about your work and whether fostering could fit around this before you make an enquiry. Contact us today on 0300 1312797.

31/05/2026

Today is World Foster Day, where foster families around the world are celebrated.

The day highlights the role foster carers have on the lives of children who for whatever reason cannot live with their birth families.

Thank you to all of our incredible foster carers!💞

We have a need in Medway and nationally for more foster carers. Could you foster and change a child's life? Get in touch with us today for a relaxed chat about the types of fostering, and how you might be able to help.

28/05/2026

It's a lovely sunny day and we are at the Medway Family Hubs Welcome to Medway event at the Gillingham Family Hub (Woodlands Road).🙌 ☀️

This free family friendly community event, which is a great way to find out about services in Medway, runs until 1.30pm. Stop by our stand to say hello and take part in our activities, scratch card making and a snap game about fostering.

Thank you very much for having us, Medway Family Hubs!

27/05/2026

Why do our foster carers foster?

One of our foster carers answers this question in the quote below.

Fostering is a hugely rewarding role. Get in touch with us today to find out more about how fostering could make a difference to your life, and to the life of the child in your care.