In short
- The website is free to use, and the information on it is general.
- The “Could I foster?” quick check is a guide, not a decision.
- Please use the website lawfully and respectfully.
- This website isn’t monitored for emergencies. If someone is in danger, call 999.
About us
This website is run by WellCare Fostering Services Ltd (“WellCare”, “we”, “us”, “our”).
- Registered in England and Wales, company number 04963908.
- Registered office: 504 Olympic House, 28–42 Clements Road, Ilford IG1 1BA.
- We are an independent fostering agency registered with Ofsted. Our Ofsted unique reference number (URN) is SC061984.
You can contact us by phone on 020 3417 9292, mobile and WhatsApp on 07877 507101, or email info@wellcarefostering.co.uk.
In these terms, “you” means anyone who visits or uses the website.
Using our website
These terms apply to your use of www.wellcarefostering.co.uk and any pages linked to it that we run. By using the website you agree to these terms. If you don’t agree, please don’t use the website.
The website is free to use. We work to keep it available and up to date, but we can’t promise it will always be available, error-free or uninterrupted. We may change, suspend or remove any part of it at any time, for example for maintenance.
You are responsible for your own internet access and for keeping your devices secure.
Information on the website
The information on this website is general. It is there to help you learn about fostering and about WellCare. It is not professional, legal, financial or medical advice, and you shouldn’t rely on it as such.
Fostering rules, allowances and tax arrangements can change. We try to keep the website accurate, but please check anything important with us before you act on it.
The eligibility quick check
The “Could I foster?” questions give an early indication only. Your answers are not an application or an assessment, and they do not mean you will or won’t be approved.
Whether someone can become a foster carer is decided only after a full assessment, a recommendation from our fostering panel and a final decision by our Agency Decision Maker, in line with the Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011 and the National Minimum Standards.
Timescales on the website, such as an assessment taking around 4–6 months, are typical and not guaranteed.
Making an enquiry
You can contact us through the forms on the website, by phone, by email or on WhatsApp.
- WhatsApp. If you message us on WhatsApp, WhatsApp’s own terms and privacy policy also apply.
- Replies. We aim to reply within one working day. Replies may take longer at busy times, weekends and bank holidays.
Please give accurate and up-to-date details, and only give someone else’s details if they have agreed.
Making an enquiry doesn’t commit you to anything, and it doesn’t commit us to start an assessment or approve you. It is the start of a conversation.
Children and young people
Some pages are written for children and young people, including those living with WellCare foster carers. If you are under 18, we suggest you look at the website with your foster carer, social worker or another adult you trust.
This website and our inboxes are not watched all the time, so they are not for emergencies.
- If you or someone else is in danger right now, call 999.
- To talk to someone in confidence, call Childline free on 0800 1111, any time.
- If you live with a WellCare foster carer, you can also speak to your social worker or contact us during office hours.
Our content and logo
We own, or have permission to use, the content on this website. This includes the text, design, the WellCare name and logo, and the downloads, such as the foster carer information booklet and the children’s and young people’s guides.
You may view, download and print content for your own personal, non-commercial use. You may share links to our pages. You must not, without our written permission:
- copy, change or republish our content for commercial use
- use our name or logo in a way that suggests we endorse you
- remove copyright or other notices from anything you download.
Photographs. The photographs on this website are licensed stock images used for illustration. They show models, not real WellCare foster carers or the children and young people we care for. We never publish identifying images of children in care.
The Ofsted, The Fostering Network and NAFP logos belong to those organisations and are shown to reflect our registration or membership.
Acceptable use
You must only use the website for lawful purposes. You must not:
- use it in a way that breaks any law or regulation
- send false, misleading, abusive or offensive messages through our forms or channels
- try to identify, contact or share information about any child, young person or family we work with
- try to gain unauthorised access to the website, its server or any connected system
- upload or send viruses, malware or other harmful material
- copy content in bulk using automated tools, such as scrapers
- collect contact details from the website to send marketing messages.
We may block access or report misuse to the relevant authorities where we believe it is appropriate.
Links and third-party services
The website links to, or uses, services run by other organisations. These include:
- Google Maps, which loads on the Contact page only after you accept the relevant cookies
- our Facebook, Instagram and TikTok pages
- Ofsted’s website, including our latest inspection report
- WhatsApp, for messages
- helplines and support organisations, such as Childline.
These services have their own terms and privacy policies. We don’t control them and aren’t responsible for their content, availability or how they use your information. A link doesn’t mean we endorse everything on that site.
Privacy and cookies
We take your privacy seriously. Our privacy notice explains what personal information we collect through the website, why, how long we keep it and your rights under UK data protection law.
Our cookies policy explains which cookies we use and how you can manage them. Non-essential cookies, such as those used by Google Maps, are only set if you agree.
WellCare is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), registration number ZA595280.
Our responsibility to you
Nothing in these terms limits or excludes our liability where it would be unlawful to do so. This includes liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or for fraud. Your rights as a consumer are not affected.
The website is provided for general information and free of charge. Within what the law allows, we are not responsible for:
- any loss caused by relying on general information on the website
- the website being unavailable, slow or interrupted
- viruses or other harmful material that reach your device through the website, where we have taken reasonable care
- the content or services of third-party websites we link to
- loss or corruption of data on your device.
The website is for personal use only. If you use it for business purposes, we are not liable to you for any loss of profit, business or opportunity.
Things you send us
This section covers feedback, comments, stories, reviews and other content you send us through the website, our forms or our social media pages. It does not cover the personal details you give when you enquire, which we handle under our privacy notice.
When you send us content, you give us permission to use it, free of charge, to run and promote our fostering service. We will always ask for your written consent before publishing anything that names you or could identify you. You can ask us to remove published content at any time.
Anything you send us must not:
- identify, or include photos of, any child or young person in care
- break any law or anyone else’s rights, including copyright and privacy
- be untrue, misleading, defamatory, abusive or offensive
- include viruses or other harmful material.
We may edit or decline to publish content, and remove content that breaks these rules.
If these terms are broken
If we believe someone has broken these terms, we may take the steps we think are appropriate. These may include:
- sending a warning
- blocking access to the website or our forms, including from an IP address
- asking the person’s internet provider to block access
- removing content they have sent us
- reporting the matter to the police, the local authority or other relevant bodies, especially where a child may be at risk
- taking legal action.
Other legal points
Events outside our control. We are not responsible for delays or failures caused by events we can’t reasonably control, such as power cuts, internet failures, cyber attacks or severe weather.
Transfer. We may transfer our rights and duties under these terms to another organisation, for example if WellCare is restructured. This won’t reduce your rights. You may not transfer your rights under these terms to anyone else.
Third parties. These terms are between you and WellCare. No one else can enforce them.
The whole agreement. These terms, together with our privacy notice and cookies policy, are the whole agreement between you and us about using the website. They don’t change any separate agreement you have with us, such as a foster carer agreement.
Changes, law and contact
Changes. We may update these terms from time to time. The date at the top of this page shows when they last changed. Please check back now and then.
If part doesn’t apply. If a court decides any part of these terms can’t be enforced, the rest still applies.
Law. These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any dispute will be dealt with by the courts of England and Wales. If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you may also bring proceedings in your local courts.
Questions or concerns. If you have a question about these terms, email info@wellcarefostering.co.uk, call 020 3417 9292 or write to WellCare Fostering Services Ltd, 504 Olympic House, 28–42 Clements Road, Ilford IG1 1BA.
Questions about this page?
We’re happy to explain anything. Email info@wellcarefostering.co.uk or call us.