There is a shortage of foster carers in Waltham Forest, and the problem has been getting worse over the past few years.
As London’s fostering agency, GLF is committed to helping fill the shortfall of carers in Waltham Forest.
Our mission is to be able to offer the best possible home to every child that comes to care, but to do this we need more foster carers. Because if there aren’t enough foster carers available in Waltham Forest then children will be moved from the area, away from their friends, family and community.
The lack of Waltham Forest foster carers, means that often children need to be placed out of borough. This can have huge negative impacts on the child. Being away from where they grew up could mean either changing schools, or having to travel a long way each day.
At GLF we think it’s really important to try to find a foster home for a child as close to where they grew up. There are times for the child’s safety that it is important that they are placed away, however in the majority of cases this isn’t true.
This means we need to find more local foster carers, to look after local children. But this job is getting harder, as high housing costs in Waltham Forest mean fewer people have spare rooms.
Do you have spare room? Or do you know someone who does?
We are looking for new foster carers in all of Waltham Forest, and especially want to hear from you if you live in any of the following areas: Whipps Cross, Walthamstow, Leyton, Waltham Cross, Waltham Forest, Chingford, Blackhorse Road, Highams Park, Snaresbrook.
Waltham Forest has a very diverse population, and this is mirrored in the children who are fostered in the borough. That’s why carers are needed across all ethnicities.