Foster carers needed in Basingstoke
If you live in or near Basingstoke, including areas such as Chineham, Tadley, Hook and the surrounding Hampshire villages, you may wish to consider becoming a foster carer. Children and young people in this area need safe, stable homes where they can remain close to their schools, friendships and local communities.
In most fostering arrangements, you will need a spare bedroom so that a child has their own space. However, if you are applying to foster a baby, a separate bedroom may not be required at the start. What matters most is your ability to provide a secure and nurturing home environment.
There is no single background required to become a foster carer. People from a wide range of professions — including healthcare, education, social care and many others — often bring valuable transferable skills. Some continue in flexible employment alongside fostering, while others choose to focus on fostering more fully. The key qualities are patience, reliability and a genuine commitment to supporting children.
As a foster carer, you have the opportunity to make a lasting difference in a child’s life. You provide daily structure, encouragement and advocacy, helping children to build confidence and stability. This is supported by structured training, dedicated supervision from a supervising social worker with a manageable caseload and 24/7 out-of-hours support.
Our foster carers receive £479.50 per week for children aged 0–10 and £507.50 per week for children aged 11 and over, reflecting both the fostering allowance and the professional responsibility of the role.
Becoming a foster carer is not simply a role — it is a meaningful commitment that can positively shape both a child’s future and your own sense of purpose. If you are considering fostering in Basingstoke, an informal conversation is often the best first step.
What do you need to Be a Foster carer?
The most important requirements are having a suitable spare bedroom and a good level of availability. In most fostering arrangements, children need their own bedroom where they can feel safe, settled and have personal space. If you are applying to foster a baby, a separate bedroom may not be required initially, as a baby can sleep in a crib in your room.
You also need time in your daily life to support a child properly. This includes being available for school runs, helping with homework, attending meetings with teachers and social workers, and being present during school holidays. Fostering usually requires flexibility, so long or inflexible working hours can be difficult to balance with the role.
Beyond the practicalities, you need patience, resilience and a genuine commitment to providing stability. You do not need to be perfect, but you do need to be dependable and willing to work as part of a professional team focused on the child’s wellbeing.
Support you'll receive from us
- 24/7 support from your supervising social worker
- £507.50 a week in fostering allowance and fees to foster
- Intensive training program to help you be the best you can be
Where are we recruiting?
We need new foster carers across most of the South Coast, so call us today if you can help.
Basingstoke
Next Steps
Depending on where you are in your fostering journey, we have a few suggested next steps.
Download Our Guide To Fostering
Arrange for a call back
Ask us a question via whatsapp
We keep your person information safe, and only use it to contact you in the way you’ve asked us to.
The Positives of Fostering
Fostering brings responsibility, but it also brings real and lasting rewards. Many carers speak about the sense of purpose that comes from knowing their home has provided stability at a time when it was needed most. The changes are often gradual — improved confidence, better school attendance, calmer routines — but they are meaningful and long-term.
For some families, fostering can also positively reshape daily life.
Emma, a foster carer in Hampshire, had two young children of her own. She wanted to be at home more while they were growing up, but stepping away from work felt financially difficult. After careful consideration, she and her partner decided to foster a teenager.
Their placement was a fifteen-year-old girl who needed a stable home within her local area. Emma was able to be present for school mornings, after-school conversations and the everyday structure that teenagers benefit from. At the same time, she was also at home for her own children during those early years.
With the fostering payments — £479.50 per week for children aged 0–10 and £507.50 per week for children aged 11 and over — Emma was able to reduce her working hours significantly and focus on both her family and the young person placed with them. The financial stability made it sustainable, while the professional support from her supervising social worker gave her confidence.
She describes the most rewarding part not as something dramatic, but as watching the teenager begin to settle — engaging more at school, joining in with family life and planning for college. “It felt like we were giving her space to breathe,” she said. “And at the same time, I was able to be present for my own children in a way I hadn’t been before.”
Fostering does not remove challenges, but it can bring a deep sense of purpose and connection. It can strengthen family life, build resilience and allow you to make a meaningful difference — not just in a child’s future, but in the way you shape your own.
book a call about fostering:
We’d be happy to give you a 15-20 minute call to tell you about fostering. Don’t worry, there’s no pressure from us – it’s honestly a chance for you to ask us any questions you have about fostering, and your suitability. Just complete this short form
