Fostering in Thanet
Explore fostering with South Coast in Thanet. Ask about your home, your time and the support you could expect.
Your home. Your circumstances.
Thanet takes in Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs at the north-eastern tip of Kent. High-speed trains reach London St Pancras, and the A299 Thanet Way links the area with Herne Bay and Whitstable. Kent County Council runs children’s services here. We welcome questions from people in Margate, Ramsgate, Broadstairs and the Thanet communities.
A child’s important connections may be spread across several towns. Talk with us about helping them maintain relationships, and the availability and travel a particular match could need.
Tell us your postcode and we can discuss coverage, travel and what a suitable fostering arrangement could involve. Your first conversation is about exploring the possibilities, not committing to an application.
A named supervising social worker, preparation and ongoing learning, and experienced out-of-hours advice are part of fostering with South Coast, rated Outstanding by Ofsted in all three areas in January 2026.
Get to know your support ↗Thanet, in numbers
Thanet is home to roughly 140,600 people (2021 census), over about 40 square miles. Turner Contemporary has drawn almost 4.8 million visitors since it opened in 2011, and Live Margate, a Kent County Council programme with £23.1m invested, is turning derelict buildings back into family homes.
Child poverty is still high. Thanet ranks 26th of 296 districts on the 2025 Indices of Deprivation, inside England’s most deprived tenth. Child poverty runs at 26.3% relative, 6,639 children under 16, and 22.1% absolute, 5,580 children. Both are the highest in Kent.
Kent is short of foster homes. Its Children in Care Sufficiency Strategy 2025 to 2028 says the council must look outside its own service for around 44% of the foster homes it needs. In September 2025 there were 510 mainstream fostering households across the whole county, caring for 650 children. A local household is what keeps a Thanet child at their own school.
Margate and Ramsgate are on the high speed line: St Pancras is about an hour and a half away, with the quickest trains taking around 1 hour 24 minutes. The A299 and M2 run towards London. But family time, appointments and school runs happen at addresses all over the district, so you will need a car.
Margate, Ramsgate, Broadstairs, St Peters, Westgate-on-Sea, Birchington, Cliftonville, Westbrook, Garlinge, Minster, Monkton, Manston, Cliffsend, Acol and St Nicholas at Wade.
See what we pay ↗Questions worth exploring
Explore your space, availability and the people around you.
Explore thisUnderstand the allowance and professional fee, and when payments apply.
Explore thisSee the steps from an informal conversation to assessment and matching.
Explore thisBefore you apply
Yes. Tell us your postcode and the places you can travel to. We will explain coverage and explore your circumstances before you decide whether to go further.
No. We can discuss different types of care alongside your household, experience and availability. A child’s needs remain central to any match.
We can discuss what you would like from a different agency and explain the transfer process. Any move needs careful planning, including the needs of children living with you.
A conversation, at your pace
Ask us about fostering in Thanet. We will listen, explain and help you consider your next step.
A first chat takes about 15–20 minutes. No pressure to apply. Lines open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
