Find Us
Our Offices in Kent
Select an office below to learn more about the localised support we provider to our carers.
Whitstable Fostering Services
Learn more about the support we offer to our carers in this area including training, support groups, coffee mornings and much more.
West Malling Fostering Services
Learn more about the support we offer to our carers in this area including training, support groups, coffee mornings and much more.
Who Can Foster in Kent?
We work with people from a wide range of backgrounds – single, married, working or retired.
There are a few essential requirements:
· A spare bedroom: every child needs their own private space
· Age: you must be at least 21 years old
· Residency: you must have the right to live and work in the UK
You don’t necessarily need to drive. You don’t need formal childcare qualifications – we provide the training and support you’ll need. And we actively welcome people from all cultural backgrounds, faiths and communities.
Financial Support & Kent Fostering Payments
Fostering is a professional commitment, and the financial support reflects that.
· Weekly professional allowance: typically, around £482 per week
· Enhanced payments: up to £800 per week depending on the needs of the child or sibling group
· Tax benefits: fostering income is treated differently by HMRC, giving you a fixed tax exemption of £19,690 per year, plus an additional weekly tax relief for every child in your care
· Overall income: at the higher rate of £800 per week, foster parents in Kent can earn up to £41,600 per year, which may be completely tax-free depending on their circumstances.
We’ll always be clear about what you can expect financially, so you can make an informed decision.
Compass Fostering South East Limited - Rated Good by Ofsted
Last inspected 17 February 2025 · Full report available
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We have dinner together, we talk about everything, we feel like family.
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Children feel a strong sense of stability, with most staying with their foster carers for more than a year and being fully included in family life.
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The agency's therapeutic support is a key strength, with foster carers saying the specialist input has made a real difference when things have been difficult.
Events
Join Our Live Digital Q&A Sessions.
Learn all you need to know about foster care and what is required in our live Zoom Q&A sessions.
Become a Foster Parent in Kent
We aim to complete the fostering assessment in 4–6 months – thorough but not unnecessarily drawn out. Here’s what happens:
- Enquiry – speak to our London team or one of our Recruitment Ambassadors
- Home visit – an open conversation about your circumstances and what fostering involves
- Assessment & training – you’ll work with a dedicated social worker and begin therapeutic training
- Panel – your assessment is reviewed by an independent fostering panel for approval
- A Home for a Child – you’ll work with our Family Finding team to match with a child and begin your fostering journey
The Need for Foster Parents in Kent
Across Kent and the wider South East, more foster parents are needed to provide children and young people with safe, stable and caring homes. In Kent, there is a particularly strong need for Parent and Child foster parents.
Parent and Child fostering is a specialist arrangement where a parent and child live together in the home of an approved foster parent. This helps them remain safely together whilst the parent is given support, assessment and guidance.
This type of fostering is different from standard fostering in several key ways. Parent and Child foster parents help the parent develop safe and responsible care for their child, observe how the child’s needs are being met, and provide clear, factual records to the wider professional team.
Parent and Child foster parents also receive additional support, including more regular, fortnightly visits from their supervising social worker.
The role may be particularly suitable for people with previous parenting experience, as well as those with backgrounds in youth work, community work, family support or healthcare. There is also an ongoing need for foster parents who can care for teenagers, sibling groups, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and children with complex needs.
To learn more about Parent and Child fostering, including the training and support available through Compass, visit our dedicated Parent and Child fostering page.
We also provide:
- Short-term fostering: providing a steady anchor during a time of transition
- Long-term fostering: committing to a child’s future until they reach adulthood
- Disability and complex needs fostering: taking care of children with significant challenges
- Fostering siblings: ensuring brothers and sisters can stay together
Local Support & Community
When you foster with Compass, you’re not doing it alone. You become part of a professional community of Life Changers – supported by experienced social workers, local peer networks and regular reflective supervision.
That support matters. Because fostering is not about getting everything right. It’s about having the right people around you when things are difficult.
Your Senior Compass Fostering Kent Team
At Compass Fostering Kent, we believe in being “big enough to support, small enough to care.” Our focus is on providing exceptional care for exceptional children and young people. Across our region, we see the impact of safe and nurturing homes every day, from young people progressing to university to pursuing their personal passions.
Here in Kent, all of our services are centred around children’s needs. Through our Education Service and Specialist 14+ Independent Living Programme, we help young people build the skills and confidence they need for independence.
We are proud of our long-serving foster carers, many with over 10 years’ experience, who provide stable, long-term homes that lead to positive outcomes for children. Children also play an active role in shaping our service, from offering feedback on activities to taking part in interview panels for new staff.
A strong therapeutic thread runs throughout our work. Our dedicated therapeutic practitioners provide tailored support from the start of a child’s journey through to independence. Carers are supported through regular groups, skilled supervising social workers using therapeutic approaches, and our valued Carer Support Ambassadors who provide additional peer support where needed. Together, we create a service that is supportive, skilled and deeply relational, ensuring children and young people thrive in environments that truly care." — Sarah Seikegba
Sarah Seikegba
Head of Fostering
Malcolm Atkins
Operations Manager
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Fostering isn’t easy. But it’s one of the most important things you can do to transform the life of a child. If you’re ready to explore whether fostering could be right for you – and want to do it with a team that will have your back – we’d like to hear from you.
Fostering in Kent — Compass FAQs
The Fostering Basics
What fostering roles are in demand in Kent?
Currently, we have a high demand for foster parents willing to support children aged 11 and older, as well as adolescents who may have complex needs. There is also a significant need for parent and child placements and assessments.
Does Compass provide Parent and Child fostering in Kent?
Yes. Compass Fostering offers Parent and Child fostering in Kent and is actively seeking more foster parents who can support these specialist placements.
You do not need to have specialist experience before applying, as full relevant training will be provided. This type of fostering may be well suited to people with sound judgement, emotional intelligence, safeguarding awareness and strong record-keeping skills. This could include empty nesters, people with experience in childcare or healthcare, and existing foster parents who are looking for a new challenge.
In Kent, Compass Parent and Child foster parents receive support from their supervising social worker, local authority professionals and wider specialist services where needed.
Which local authorities do you work with?
The largest LAs we work with are the Kent and Medway local authorities. Because we are situated on the border, we also support children from surrounding areas and neighbouring authorities.
The Fostering Journey
Where will my training take place?
In-person training is held at our physical offices in West Malling and Whitstable, with the majority of sessions taking place in Whitstable. Your training can also take place virtually online.
Do I need to be able to drive?
Driving is considered very helpful due to the transport infrastructure within Kent, especially when transporting school-aged children. However, not driving will not automatically exclude you from fostering; this factor is simply taken into careful consideration during the matching process.
How long does it take to be approved?
The fostering assessment process typically takes around 4 to 6 months to complete, concluding with your approval at our fostering panel.
Once approved, how quickly can I welcome my first child?
You will be enrolled in an induction programme shortly after approval, and your Supervising Social Worker will go through your specific matching preferences within the first few weeks. The exact timeframe varies because we prioritise making a robust match tailored to your unique circumstances. If there is an extended period without a match, our therapeutic practitioners and operations manager will actively intervene.
How does the matching process work and will I have a say?
You will 100% have a say in the process; we strictly consider your skills, personal views and family dynamics. Our family finding officer conducts an initial match using referrals from the Local Authority. If a match looks positive, we arrange a pre-placement meeting where you can ask questions directly alongside your social worker, the family finding officer, and sometimes the child’s current foster parents.
Professional Support & Practicalities
Where are your local offices?
We have two offices located in West Malling and Whitstable.
How often do I need to visit?
There is no strict minimum attendance required as we operate on a hybrid model, but you will occasionally attend for training or specific activities. To ensure fairness, we often host central events in locations like Maidstone, so carers from both Whitstable and West Malling do not have to travel out of their way.
Who supports me out of hours?
As a leading fostering agency in Kent, we offer 24-hour support managed by our hub covering all of Kent. You will always have access to a duty social worker, an operations manager, and the head of fostering out of hours. We also utilise available respite carers who can provide over-the-phone emotional support or alternative overnight stays for young people in an emergency.
How often will my Supervising Social Worker visit?
Your Supervising Social Worker will be geographically allocated to specifically cover your local area within the Kent region. They will conduct regular visits, beginning immediately after onboarding, to provide ongoing reflective training and robust support.
What support is available for more complex situations?
We have dedicated education services that we readily access, and we are expanding our use of liaisons from Compass Education. To address the issue of keeping siblings together when a single home lacks capacity, we create “cluster families,” where multiple nearby households care for the siblings and support each other. We also adapt our training for emerging local challenges, such as a requested increase in support for children with disabilities.
Community, Events & Networks
Will there be other Compass foster parents near me?
Yes, we actively strive to create a close-knit community and will connect you with geographically close carers, provided everyone consents. We operate hub models that function as an extended family network, ensuring you have local peers who can step in to offer practical support during difficult personal moments.
Do you offer mentoring or buddy support?
Yes, we utilise a “Carer for Carers” system to guide you entirely through your assessment and induction phases. We arrange for new carers to spend a day shadowing experienced foster families. We continuously link carers up for peer reflective discussions, which is especially helpful for regaining confidence after facing complex situations.
What local events do you run?
We host regular huddles, support group meetings, and bi-weekly virtual drop-in sessions hosted by our Carer Support Ambassadors. We organise community-orientated events, such as participating in park runs for the charity Mind and local litter picking initiatives. We also involve birth children from the very beginning, inviting them to all activities, sponsoring their personal hobbies, and developing specific day-trip and educational support groups for them.
How do you support diverse families and communities?
The Head of Fostering for Kent chairs the Compass Anti-Racist Discriminatory Group to actively challenge oppressive practices. We fund and support our carers to be members of the Black Foster Carers Alliance. We provide our foster parents with specialised training, reflective discussions, and practical workshops — including hair braiding sessions — to ensure they can validate the lived experiences of children from diverse backgrounds.
