I'm looking to transfer - Fostering

Dorset Council fostering service puts the children who need loving, local foster homes at the heart of everything we do. Our focus is on keeping children close to their schools, friends and birth families.

Thanks to our local knowledge, good connections to essential services and 24/7 wrap around support, we’re best placed to find great foster carers for children and young people across Dorset.

At Dorset Council, we welcome foster carers who wish to transfer to us, and offer a great package of local support and training.

There are many benefits when fostering with a local authority like Dorset Council, such as;

We are a non-profit organisation, meaning our focus is on providing the best care and support to our children and foster carers.
Our fostering service has a real ‘family’ feel, and the support you receive will be from professionals employed by Dorset Council, making it easy to access.
We approach our ‘in-house’ foster carers first, meaning that there many opportunities to care for children and young people.
Fostering with Dorset Council helps keep children and young people in the county they call home, close to schools, friends, families, and the places that are important to them.
Our support and training offer is localised, with support groups taking place all around Dorset.
Our carers are local, and peer support is easily accessible.
We have the Mockingbird Family Model, giving carers access to an extended network of family support and the opportunity to meet with other foster families in Dorset.

Find out more about becoming a foster carer with us

When fostering with an Independent Fostering Agency (IFA), or with another Local Authority, you are able to transfer to Dorset Council, and the process of transferring is nice and simple.

One you have decided that you’d like to transfer, the first thing to do is get in touch with us. We follow the fostering networks transfer protocol, which outlines the process of transferring from your existing agency or authority.

It is important to note that when transferring to us, you are able to continue caring for the children and young people who are with you, and transfer with them in your care.

Get in touch by booking a chat with us, and one of our friendly team will be in touch to discuss your transfer further.