Welcome to the Lambeth Foster Carers Handbook

In Lambeth, we are passionate about creating an environment in which our young people can flourish. We are one big family: foster carers, social workers and others all working together to support our young people to achieve the very best outcomes. By becoming a foster carer, you have now joined the Lambeth family!

In the Lambeth family, we strive to care, nurture and support all of our young people: giving them the childhood they deserve and setting them up for their futures. Our foster carers play a huge role in achieving this ambition; your loving homes and inspiring care to children who can no longer live with their birth families means that our most vulnerable children can always live in a safe and secure home.

We are passionate about ensuring every child in this borough receives the best possible start in life. There are many factors which will influence this, but far-and-away the most impactful is having a home and a loving family around the child. Thanks to yours and others’ commitment as foster carers in Lambeth, we are confident that we can offer children the help that they need to live a happy and healthy childhood.

Thank you for standing with us in dedication to and support of our young people in Lambeth.

Note to readers

Lambeth Fostering Service is profoundly grateful for the thoughtful, dedicated and loving care offered by our foster carers to the children and young people we look after. This Handbook is by no means definitive of all the issues that foster cares deal with, but we do hope that you find it of use. As a fostering service we know that the best outcomes for our children looked after will happen when we walk alongside our carers to enable you to offer the best care to our children.

Whether you foster by yourself, with a partner or with your children, as a council, we thank you!