We Are Recruiting Foster Carers in and around Berkshire
Berkshire has not had a county council since 1998. It is six separate unitary authorities, and none of them publishes a Berkshire figure for children in care.
Add the six together and you get 1,046 children looked after at 31 March 2025. Add their out-of-area figures and you get 297 children placed outside their own council’s boundary and more than twenty miles from home. Five of the six sit above the England average of 17.4% on that measure.
Ofsted rated us Outstanding
In January 2026 Ofsted inspected South Coast Fostering and rated us Outstanding in all three judgement areas: the experiences and progress of children, how well children are helped and protected, and the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector raised no requirements and no recommendations.Their summary: “The independent fostering agency provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good.”
We look after just over 20 fostering families and we intend to stay small. The reason we can work like this is that nobody here carries a caseload they can’t do justice to.
What we pay Berkshire foster carers
£479.50 a week for a child aged 0 to 10. £507.50 a week for a child aged 11 and over. Per child, every week, whether the placement lasts a fortnight or five years.Caring for a child with additional needs pays £550 to £850 a week. Parent and child placements, where you support a young parent and their baby together, pay £987 a week. We also contribute between £330 and £1,500 a year towards your council tax, rising the longer you foster with us.
Most fostering income is tax free under HMRC’s qualifying care relief. Ask us and we’ll go through the numbers with you properly, including what your household would actually take home.
The support behind it
Your supervising social worker visits at least every four weeks and sees the child at least every eight. That’s a floor, not a target, and in practice it’s usually more.There’s telephone advice twenty four hours a day, every day of the year, including a dedicated out of hours team. Fostering doesn’t keep office hours. Placements break down at eleven at night, not at half past two on a Tuesday.
Training runs from before you’re approved and carries on afterwards, funded by us.
Where Berkshire’s shortage actually bites
Windsor and Maidenhead publishes its own figure and it is going the wrong way. Its draft Corporate Parenting Strategy, using data to the end of August 2025, records 35% of its children in care placed more than twenty miles from home, up from 34% the year before and 32% the year before that.Reading carries the largest absolute problem. It had 272 children in care at 31 March 2025, the most of the six, and its children’s services provider has set out to recruit 20 net additional foster carers over three years. It currently has 57.
Bracknell Forest has seen the number of children placed with its own in-house foster carers fall by 24% between March 2021 and March 2025.
The wider picture is the same. Local Authority Fostering South East reported in July 2024 that the region has over 11,000 children in care and fewer than 3,000 local authority approved foster carers.
Who you’d be working with
Sally Barnett is our registered manager. She fostered before she managed, which changes the tenor of most conversations. Ofsted named her in the January 2026 report.Richard Norwood is our director and Melanie Yearwood is our responsible individual.
Do you qualify?
Most people who assume they can’t foster, can. You don’t have to own your home, be married, be under 55, or have children of your own. You can work, though you’ll need genuine flexibility during the day.You will need a spare bedroom for most placements. Babies are the exception: a newborn can sleep in a crib in your room at the start.
A car helps. Contact sessions and health appointments can mean several trips a week.
Already fostering somewhere else?
Transferring is more straightforward than most carers expect, and because you’re already approved it moves faster than a first assessment. If you have a child in placement, a transfer protocol meeting protects their stability throughout. Read more about transferring to South Coast Fostering.Where we cover in Berkshire
Reading, Slough, Bracknell, Wokingham, Newbury, Windsor, Maidenhead, Thatcham and Sandhurst.Talk to us
Call 023 8235 2020, or send a message on WhatsApp if that’s easier. The first conversation takes about fifteen minutes and commits you to nothing at all.We’d rather you asked the awkward questions now than found out later.
Values that lead us
01
Doing the right thing, not the easy thing
If something is the right thing to do, then we will always do it, even if it is difficult.
02
Treat Carers As Professionals
We are shocked when we hear how poorly some foster carers have been treated by their fostering service. At SCF we always treat carers as professionals.
03
Family
We see ourselves as one big family. This means we have a deep underlying respect for each other.
04
Always be learning
We see everyday, and every incident as a chance to learn and develop. We help carers and staff reflect on how their actions affect others.
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
What Is It Like to Foster with South Coast Fostering?
Fostering with South Coast Fostering means becoming part of a supportive and professional community, rather than feeling like you are managing alone. From your first enquiry through to approval and beyond, you will have consistent contact with a dedicated supervising social worker who takes the time to understand you, your household and the children placed in your care.
Day-to-day life as a foster carer can vary depending on the age and needs of the child. Some days feel routine and settled, focused on school runs, meals and normal family life. Other days may involve meetings with professionals, supporting contact arrangements or helping a child work through difficult emotions. Throughout it all, you are not expected to have all the answers. Guidance and advice are always available.
Our supervising social workers maintain manageable caseloads, which means they can provide meaningful supervision rather than rushed check-ins. This allows space for reflective conversations, practical planning and proactive support. We aim to build long-term relationships with our carers based on trust and clear communication.
You will also have access to regular training and development opportunities to strengthen your skills and confidence. Many carers value the opportunity to meet others at support groups and events across Southern England, where experiences and advice can be shared openly.
Financially, fostering with South Coast Fostering provides stability. Carers receive £479.50 per week for children aged 0–10 and £507.50 per week for children aged 11 and over. This payment recognises both the allowance for the child’s needs and the professional responsibility of the role.
Above all, fostering with South Coast Fostering means being part of an organisation that is committed for the long term. We do not disappear when challenges arise. We remain alongside you, working together to provide safe, stable homes for children across Berkshire and the wider Southern England region.
Who we Work With
How can you help?
The following are a few ways in which you can help us, and children in your local community.
Talk to your friends about fostering
If you can’t foster yourself you could talk to your friends and family to see if they can. We will actually reward you for anyone that becomes an approved carer for us.
Give a helping hand to a care leaver
Care leavers might need a helping hand, we have some ideas about how to help