Simply Fostering

Fostering in Northamptonshire

Interested in foster caring?

In order to help you choose the fostering agency that’s right for you, we ensure that we provide extensive information about foster care.

All children that are in need of foster care in Northamptonshire and surrounding areas may differ in background and age; They may be sibling groups, they may be, emergency or long term, but they all have one shared aspect; they need caring and loving homes and families to help them feel nurtured again, and to give them a stimulating and positive environment to help them rediscover what family life should be like.

Northamptonshire Foster Carer Recruitment.

As requested by some of our member agencies, Simply Fostering has engaged its foster carer SEO internet-based recruitment tools in Northamptonshire and its surrounding areas. Out of the proposals made to Northampton County Council, a number of Simply Fostering agencies have gained opportunities to work within the contractual tenders, being made available through the Local Authority.

Deciding to foster.

It’s important to remember that while fostering a child is likely to become one of the most fulfilling and rewarding things you’ve ever done, it also carries its fair share of stresses.

Support: Training and support will be provided by fostering agencies, however, it’s probably a good idea to have a support system of your own in place; close friends and family who can help carry you through these stressful times and occasionally difficult situations.

Individual factors: Each child is unique, as are their circumstances, and so of course the needs of the foster child differ in each case depending on their age and understanding of the situation they are in, and therefore the degree and type of emotional support will also have to be gaged on these factors.

Flexibility: Frequent visits from social workers mean it is important to have a flexible lifestyle and be available to meet with a social worker when they see fit. Each meeting may be different, also, and so flexibility also applies to the amount of time that will need to be spent in such meetings.

The Biological Parents: As a foster carer you will also need to be comfortable with and open to communication with the child’s biological parents; while in some cases not always ideal or preferable, it’s often necessary. Therefore you’ll need to be understanding of this for the sake of the child’s well-being and the smooth-running of the placement.

Northampton Population and Demography.

Northampton’s population the last estimation was 221,000, and since 1901 the town has seen a population increase of 17.41% from 180,617. Having a reasonably sizeable population rate, Northampton should provide a good source of potential foster carers, but also in turn there are many children who are in need of those potential families. Therefore if you are a part of this Northampton population and are looking to foster – you’re needed! You’ll be greatly helping your community by being charitable to members of its next-generation who are in need of stimulating and healthy surroundings; the children.

Simply fostering application service

Using the information that you include in your eligibility quiz results, one of our social work experts will use our UK Agency Database to appropriately match you with the most suitable fostering agencies in Northamptonshire that seem most right for you. It is our aim to encourage the consideration of fostering, but also to make the process of application as easy and stress-free as possible; reducing confusion and helping you in any way we can.

Different types of fostering.

It’s important to remember that no Fostering Agency is the same as another; they provide different quality of training, allowances, and access to respite care and support groups. Therefore, following on from what was addressed above, it’s all the more important to ensure you’re set up with the best possible Fostering agency that suits you in terms of convenience and levels of care and support.

There are also different types of fostering when it comes to care of the child, and these can be discussed with your agency as the type of fostering that is followed through often depends on the child’s circumstances.

It’s also significant to consider the fact that foster agencies also differ in the children that they care for; for example some don’t provide placements for babies, and prefer to focus on teenagers. In addition, it can be expected that foster caring is your main job focus and career, and therefore you need will be at home full time, whereas other agencies are understanding of employment elsewhere and the need to hold down a job as well as looking after the child. Considering the fact that this would affect arrangements of meetings with and visits from social workers, it’s important that you’re with an agency that’s understanding and accommodating to your situation.

Want to Foster? Let’s get together.

Simply Fostering would like to hear from anyone who is interested in fostering in Northamptonshire. We welcome applications from all cultures, heterosexual couples, same-sex couples, single applicants, straight, gay, young applicants, and older applicants. What is important is that you have a spare bedroom available, and the motivation and desire to care for a young person on a full-time basis.

Training, support, and a professional allowance of up to £420.00 per week, per child, is being paid to foster carers in Northamptonshire.

To find out more, and to take the next step towards a career as a foster carer, use our no obligation, free agency matching service by completing our eligibility quiz and get fostering right first time!

Towns in Northamptonshire

Corby

Corby sits in the north of Northamptonshire and is roughly 23 miles away from the county town and larger Northampton.

The most recent census showed the borough to have a population of 61,300 with additional figures showing Corby as having one of the largest growing populations in the country.

Close to the borough of Kettering, Corby is known locally as ‘Little Scotland’ due to the significant number of workers moving from Scotland to work in the town’s steelworks.

In recent years, the town itself has undergone a big regeneration programme with Corby railway station, Corby International Swimming Pool, and the Corby Cube building which houses a 450-seat theatre, public library, council chambers for Corby Borough Council and a studio theatre with a programme of dance, music, film and regular live programmes.

Corby has a rich history with the Corby Pole fair being a well-attended event since 1862. The history of Corby fairs and markets goes back to 1226 when Henry III granted his permission for such events.

Queen Elizabeth I is also prominent in the town’s history by way of a riding accident whilst hunting in Rockingham Forest in 1568. She fell from her horse, and when rescued by local villagers she granted Corby a charter which waived fees and taxes for landowners. However, alternative explanations of the charter suggest she gave this as a favour to her apparent lover, Sir Christopher Hatton, the Lord Chancellor of England.

Kettering

Roughly 80 miles from London, Kettering is a vibrant town on the west side of the River Ise, itself a tributary of the larger River Nene. The two waterways converge at the smaller town of Wellingborough, roughly 10 miles from Kettering itself.

Historically, Kettering has a tremendous Roman story to tell since their conquering of the area in 43 AD. Remnants of an earlier Romano British settlement can be traced to 1st Century BC when a Belgic tribe known as Catuvellauni ruled the roost.

The wider area of Northamptonshire was one of three key centres for iron-working during the Roman occupation. Other noted centres of iron-works were the Forest of Dean in Kent and the Weald in Sussex whilst the area around Kettering played a huge part in iron history.

Modern-day Kettering grew in the 19th Century with the boot and shoe industry putting not only the town of Kettering but also Northamptonshire on the industrial map. Many large homes in the area, Headlands and Rockingham Road for example were constructed for factory owners whilst streets of terraced homes were built for the factory workers.

Unfortunately, the shoe industry has been in decline in Kettering since the 1970s with previously large manufacturers such as Dolcis, Frank Wright and Timpsons, and Freeman, Hardy and Willis all closing down.

Kettering today is a large borough with a population of around 81,000 and is due to receive a large housing investment with approximately 6,000 homes planned in the coming years.

Given its convenient location for commuter travel to the Midlands and London, fast trains via the Midland Main Line railway and London St Pancras International and Eurostar, just an hour away, make Kettering hugely attractive to many.

Wellingborough

Around 11 miles north of the county town of Northampton, Wellingborough lies north of the River Nene. Due to its close proximity to the river and frequent flooding, the majority of the town has been built above the flood plain which has a population of around 77,000.

A growing town since its Anglo-Saxon beginnings, the then named ‘Wendelingburgh’ was noted for its central location to 5 important wells which served the area. These all now feature on the town’s coat of arms.

Wellingborough’s medieval heritage is marked by the Jacobean Croyland Abbey which to this day sits in the part of the town known locally as ‘Croyland’. The oldest building in Wellingborough, All Hallow’s Church, dates from around 1160 AD and has a magnificent spire reaching 49 metres (160 feet) to the gods.

Given a Market Charter in 1201 by King John, a market has taken place once a week ever since. The lord of the manor during the Elizabethan reign was an apparent favourite of Elizabeth I. Sir Christopher Hatton, then Lord Chancellor, was also a prominent and generous sponsor of Sir Francis Drake’s pioneering expeditions. Drake’s signature ship, The Golden Hind, was named after a heraldic symbol of the Hatton family.

Today, Wellingborough is a thriving town with expected growth over the coming years to include around 13,000 new homes with additional infrastructure and employment opportunities increased dramatically. A jobs target of approximately 12,500 new roles has been set for Wellingborough with the railway station being developed as a central hub for local buses and trains in the Wellingborough area. This rail link quickly takes passengers and commuters to London St Pancras International and Eurostar, Leeds, Derby and Leicester.

Road access to and out of the town are heavily used with good links to Northampton, Peterborough, Thrapston and Rushed amongst others. There are several just-out-of-town retail facilities including Tesco, sainsbury’s, Aldi and Morrisons all serving Wellingborough and its community very well.

Rushden

Situated in the east of Northamptonshire, Rushed has a population of around 30,000 giving it the prize of 5th larger town in the county. Nestled in a valley between Bedford and Kettering, all roads take the eye to the prominent St Mary’s Church in the town centre.

Much like the nearby Kettering with its history of shoemaking, Rushed is also renowned for its shoe-making heritage. During the 1900s, there were well over 100 boot and shoe-making factories in Rushed, and yet today, that figure has plummeted to just 4 shoe manufacturers selling in the UK and abroad.

Rushden is also proud to house the oldest toy shop in the county with additional current sectors of industry including lacemaking and farming, which is still strong today.

In 2010, Rushed embarked on a big regeneration project with the aim of making the town a more appealing retail proposition for locals and visitors alike. Big retail companies including Waitrose, Safeway, Morrison’s and Asda are all significant go-to stores and employers within Rushen.

A new leisure and shopping centre on the outskirts of Rushen is the impressive result of a £140 million investment in the community. Opened in July 2017, Rushden Lakes Shopping Centre has proved to be a hugely attractive proposition for hotels, a cinema, shops, restaurants, and a marina with the likes of Marks & Spencer investing in Rushden by locating its flagship store there.

Daventry

Close to the M1 and about 15 miles from Northampton, Daventry is a historic market town that has benefitted in recent years from industrial development and investment in modern housing.

Early history tells us that in the 12th Century, Daventry acquired a priory whilst a royal charter in 1255 granted it market town status prior to Queen Elizabeth 1 elevating it to borough status in 1576.

During the infamous English Civil War in the mid-1600s, King Charles 1 stayed in Daventry with a 5000-strong army who camped on Borough Hill prior to the siege of Oxford. It has been said that King Charles indulged his passion for hunting in the nearby forests of Borough Hill, then named Burrow Hill.

Daventry can also lay claim to more recent famous connections with William Shakespeare writing about ‘the red-nosed innkeeper of Daintree’ in his renowned play Henry VI. Shakespeare’s Daintree, spelt Danetre, is derived from Danish with early settlers planting an oak tree at the top of Borough Hill to mark what they believed to be the centre of England.

More recent generations have seen a variety of professions and industries invest time and money in Daventry. In 1925, The newly conceived BBC built a broadcasting station on Borough Hill, just outside Daventry. The site was selected because of its point of optimum contact with solid ground across England and Wales.

Other significant marks in time include 1935 when the radio station at Borough Hill was used for the very first practical demonstration of radar by its inventor Robert Watson-Watt and his colleague Arnold Frederic Wilkins. This historic event would play a vital role during the following Second World War.

Today, Daventry is home to Cummins, who manufacturer diesel engines for marine and railway industries, as well as being a national distribution centre of one of the big employers in Daventry, JD Wetherspoon.

Northampton

The earliest known reference on England’s time-map is 914 under the name of Ham tune, which literally means ‘home town’.
The ’North’ part of the name was later added to differentiate from any number of other ‘hamptons’ of the day which included Southampton. The Domesday Book of 1086 lists Northampton as ’Northantone’ which became ’Northampton’ by the 13th Century before settling on Northampton by the 17th Century.

Neolithic remains found in the Briar Hill area of Northampton show evidence of Bronze Age tribal ceremonies taking place around 3500 BC to 2000 BC. Hunsbury Hill is a prime example of Iron Age hill forts in the Northamptonshire area which covered an area of around 160 acres dating from around 400BC. The Domesday Book of 1086 gives Northampton a population of 2000. Today, that figure is closer to 250,000.

Later history proved to be somewhat destructive for Northampton and its occupants. During the English Civil war, King Charles II ordered the destruction of the town walls and the bulk of the castle. Not a good day for Northampton. And again, in 1675, the town suffered from the Great Fire of Northampton which desecrated the majority of the town.

Regeneration soon propelled the town to its industrial strength during the 18th Century and continued to thrive with the development of the Grand Union canal through to the game-changing advent of 19th Century railways bringing industrial prosperity. This was predominantly afforded by shoe and leather manufacturing.

Northamptonshire Needs More Foster Carers!

Fostering Statistics: East Midlands

Total Children in Care, East Midlands 2020
Foster Care Placements, East Midlands 2020

The following statistics are from the total number of children in care in the East Midlands and not exclusively those in Foster Care.

Children with disability : 180
3%
Unaccompanied Asylum Seekers : 250
4%

No Data Found

No Data Found

Popular Placement Types: Northampton continues to develop and grow with and 11% increase in population between 2004 and 2013, putting it in the top-ten of growing towns in England.

Related Areas

This related area section is currently being reviewed by our team.

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Did you Know - Northamptonshire?

The capital town of Northampton was famous for its shoe trade and leather. This explains the nickname of the town’s football team as The Cobblers.
The county is at the heart of British motor racing. The renowned racing circuit Silverstone can be found in Northamptonshire. The annual British Grand Prix has been held here since 1948.
In 1675, three quarters of the town of Northampton was destroyed by fire in the space of just a few hours. The fire was started by a small spark from an open fire and the fires spread quickly across the thatched housing in the town.

The first car chase in Britain involving the police happened in Northampton in 1899 when Sergeant Hector Macleod arrested the culprit.

 

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