Foster for Greater Manchester is calling on more people to foster with their local council, so local children can stay close to things that are familiar to them; their school, family, friends and the places that make them feel safe.
Home is more than a building. It is the school route, the park, the local shop, the football club, the grandparents’ street and the friends after school. Moving away from all of that can make an already difficult time feel even harder.
Staying local cannot remove every challenge, but it can reduce disruption. It helps children see familiar faces, stay connected to the people who matter, keep routines and attend the same school. For many children, school is one of the few stable parts of their week. Keeping the same teachers, friends and trusted adults can protect them from another major loss.
When children are placed nearby, family time can be easier to arrange. Children in foster care often need support to keep in touch with parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends. Foster carers help make those connections safe, and consistent.
The ten local councils that make up Foster for Greater Manchester recruit, train and support foster carers for children in their boroughs. The more local carers a council has, the better chance it has of finding the right home close to a child’s school, family and community.
When councils cannot find a suitable place for a child, they turn to independent fostering agencies (IFAs) who play a crucial role in providing a range of services that complement the council's efforts in safeguarding and placing children in suitable homes. But IFAs cannot always guarantee that their available foster carers are located close to where the child is from.
If a child has to move outside their area, distance can make school, family time, sibling contact and professional support harder to manage. It can also leave them feeling cut off from the people and places they know.
That is why more council foster carers are needed to support over 6,000 children and young people that are currently in care in Greater Manchester. More local homes mean more choice, fewer out-of-area moves and a better chance of keeping children connected.
You do not need to be perfect. What matters is that you can offer time, care, patience and a stable home to a child who needs one. They need someone nearby who can care, listen and offer a safe place to belong.
If you have room in your heart and your home, and curious to learn more about becoming a Foster Carer, please take the time to read the information on our website.
Once you are ready to take the first step on your journey to becoming a foster carer, please get in touch with us via
A committed and friendly member of our team will contact you within one working day of your enquiry and are here to answer any further questions you may have about fostering. They will also explain and guide you through our step-by-step approach in your journey to becoming a foster carer.