Refer a Friend and Family Scheme
Our priority is to ensure vulnerable children in Leeds can stay close to their birth families, friends and schools wherever possible. We have a fantastic community of over 700 carers supporting us to do this, but we desperately need more people to provide a loving home for children and young people in Leeds, and you can help us achieve this through our new ‘Refer a Friend and Family’ scheme.
How does it work?
With the need to recruit new foster carers, a financial incentive of £500 is being offered to anyone that “refers a friend/family member” who then becomes an approved foster carer. To refer a friend or family member, follow these steps:
Your friend/family member, the prospective foster carer, must contact the fostering team through the Register Your Interest form on the website, email, phone, or face-to-face. During this process, the fostering team will ask where they heard about fostering and if they have been referred by someone.
Your friend/family member must provide your details including your name, email address and telephone number. You will then receive an email from us asking if you wish to 'opt-in' to receive the incentive payment. You must respond within 3 months otherwise no payment will be made.
Your friend/family member will then go through the assessment process to become a foster carer, which can take 6-9 months.
If your friend/family member successfully completes the assessment process and becomes an approved foster carer, a payment of £500 will be made to you. We will contact you again to arrange payment.
There is no limit to the number of referrals someone can make. Please read the Refer a Friend and Family Policy for full details on the scheme, including terms and conditions.
Foster4Leeds is proud to be an inclusive organisation, we actively encourage and welcome applications from all backgrounds to help build an inclusive and diverse community of foster carers. We want to encourage everyone to explore the possibility of fostering within their own circumstances and their family/social networks. Our dedicated Foster4Leeds team will help anyone interested to determine the best fit in terms of the types of carer role, and full training and support is provided. As a Foster Friendly employer, you'll also receive extra support from the council.
Did you know?
More information
Find lots more information on fostering and the support and benefits foster carers receive here
Hear from some of our Foster4Leeds carers about the process and what the journey has been like for them so far.
If you have further questions about the Refer a Friend Scheme, please get in touch on 0113 3783538 or at foster4leeds@leeds.gov.uk