Fostering in Folkestone
Explore fostering with South Coast in Folkestone. Ask about your home, your time and the support you could expect.
Your home. Your circumstances.
Travel, working hours and family commitments can shape the care you are able to offer. Tell us what a normal week looks like so we can discuss the possibilities honestly, including anything that may need to change.
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 ↗Folkestone, in numbers
Folkestone and Hythe district is home to 109,800 people, up just 1.7% since 2011. It ranks 79th of 296 on the 2025 Indices of Deprivation, decile 3, the most deprived district in this corner of Kent.
Child poverty runs at 22.4% relative, which is 4,088 children under 16, with 3,474 in absolute poverty. The Kent average is 17.5%. The district also holds the Channel Tunnel terminal and Kent County Council’s reception centre for young people who arrive in the UK alone, at Peacock House in Lydd.
In July 2025 Kent County Council reported that 65.9% of its children in care lived within twenty miles of home, 14.1 percentage points below its own target. From the far south east corner of the county, a child who moves away to find a home is not moving twenty miles. They are moving off the end of the county.
Folkestone Central reaches St Pancras in about 56 minutes, and Ashford International is 14 minutes away. By road it is the M20 and the A20, and when Operation Brock takes over the motorway, timings stop meaning much. Elham and Stowting are not places you reach by train, so family time, appointments and school runs need a car.
Sandgate, Saltwood, Hythe, Hawkinge, Lyminge, Elham, Lympne, Sellindge, Newington, Postling, Swingfield, Stowting, New Romney, Dymchurch and Lydd.
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 Folkestone. 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.
