Transferring from another fostering agency

Step 1: There are a number of ways you can get in touch to find out about fostering with Leicestershire County Council and if a bespoke offer is available for you:

Your enquiry will be confidential between you and us and will not be shared with your current agency, unless you decide to progress with the transfer process.

Step 2: If you decide to transfer, you will need to inform your current fostering agency before this can go ahead.

Step 3: A shorter assessment process will take place, normally between 3 and 4 months, leading to approval at our panel.

Leicestershire County Council works with you and your existing service to make sure that everyone understands what will happen during the transfer process, and that any children or young people placed with you are fully supported and any disruption is kept to a minimum.

Leicestershire County Council are responsible for all the children in care in Leicestershire and we'll always look to place children with our foster carers first. Because of this, our carers usually have one (or more) of our children living with them all year round.

"We decided to transfer from another fostering agency due to the number of referrals. Working for Leicestershire, we're at the 'top of the tree' when it comes to having children placed with us."

Person:Cat, foster carer for Leicestershire County Council

We are trauma-informed service, meaning that every aspect of our service considers the impact trauma plays in the lives of staff and those we work with and the impact of both past and present traumatic experiences. To be trauma-informed means to be aware, to acknowledge this and to be supported to manage what comes next.

Our foster carers, whether or not they have experienced trauma in their own lives, often have to care for a child or young person who has experienced neglect abuse and trauma. This could physical and/or emotional harm, and as such, many present with complex needs, as well as additional special needs.

Some children in care require therpeutic parenting, which offers sensitive nurturing care, consistent boundaries, insight and empathic connected responses to a child’s distress and behaviours. This type of parenting allows children to self-regulate and minimises the impact of childhood trauma, offering an opportunity for those children to grow and flourish. In order to support to carers in meeting the needs of our children we offer a variety of resources:

We are also members of The Fostering Network which gives foster carers access to legal protection and tax service, helplines, learning & development and discount to many attractions.

Tell me more about fostering