fostering for staffordshire

Supportingyout o m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e0800 169 2061

staffordshire.gov.uk/fostering

YOUFOSTER

can

with Staffordshire

County Council

SCC Fostering A5 booklet v3.indd 1 18/07/2015 09:00

What is fostering?Fostering is a way of providing a stable family life for children and young people, who are unable to live with their parents at a point in time.

Who can foster?The simple answer is: Most People!

· You need to have a spare bedroom

· You must be over 21 but there is no upper age limit!

· You can be single, wanting to co-care with adult children, married, cohabiting, in a civil partnership…there is no such thing as a ‘typical carer!’

· Your relationship needs to be stable and of 2 years standing

· Already have children or not

· Rent or own your own home

· We welcome carers with disabilities and from all religious and ethnic backgrounds

2


3

Why are children fostered?There are a wide range of reasons why a child may not be able to live with his or her family at a particular point in time these include:

· Abuse – physical and emotional

· Chaotic lifestyles

· Domestic violence

· Neglect

· Parental illness or hospital stays

· Parental mental health difficulties/learning difficulties

· Parents’ abuse of drugs and/or alcohol

· Poor support systems

· Poverty

· Teenage pregnancy

· Most children are subject to court orders

Fostering is often considered to be the best way to support children and young people by providing them with a safe, secure and nurturing family environment either on a short or long-term basis. Fostering allows them to still keep in contact with their own families including other siblings who may also be in foster care.


What are the different types of fostering?Short Term Fostering is where you are working towards a goal within a set time period. You could be preparing a child to return to their own family, to move to an adoptive family or long term foster carers or helping older children to get ready for living independently.

Long Term fostering involves caring for children who cannot return to their families and for whom adoption isn’t appropriate. We are also specifically looking to recruit carers for children with disabilities.

Short stay fostering involves providing regular short stays for a child or children who you are matched with. You need to be able to commit to providing regular short stays for up to 2 years for children who are in foster care, who still live with their birth family or who have been adopted. You would look after a child or children for the weekend or in the schools holidays.

Family Link (Short break) fostering supports children who have a disability and their family. You look after a child for a short break, maybe overnight or for a weekend or in the school holidays.

Resilience foster carers provide long term, family based placements for young people aged 10-18 years who currently live in residential care. As a resilience foster carer you would foster one young person and support that person to adult life.

4


5

Why Foster with us We give you more – Ofsted rated us outstanding in 2013 because of the support and training we give to our carers and their families.

We don’t make a profit from fostering – we just want the right carer for the right child.

We value experience – we offer payment for skills and you get professional fees and allowances for essentials.

Because we’re quicker – we’ll always try to place a child with our own carers before approaching other agencies.

“It’s great to put smiles back onto their faces”

Gaye & Mike, Foster Carers

what our foster carers say...


6

What we expect from our foster carersAttend meetings – You will need to be available to attend meetings regarding children in your care during the day. You will advocate for them at school or with other professionals helping them to get the support they need.

Commitment to training – You will need to attend the Foundations to Fostering training to become a foster carer and then complete 21 hours of training every year after that.

Promoting Contact – You will need to promote contact with birth families and you may have direct contact with them.

Move children on – You will need to help children move on, some children will go back to their birth families and others may move on to long-term foster care or adoption.


7

What are the Steps to becoming a foster carer?

1 Register your interest by phone 0800 169 2061 or online staffordshire.gov.uk/fostering

2 Attend an information meeting – visit our website for the latest dates

3 Complete and return the detailed information form you are given at the information meeting

4 We’ll contact you to let you know if it has been accepted

5 Initial visit from a social worker

6 Social worker makes their recommendation to the te

The

am manager

7 Assessment Process and Foundations to Fostering training

8 Fostering Panel and approval

“The best part of fostering is bringing the children out of themselves, seeing them growing up into young ladies, there is no greater reward.”

Chris, Foster Carer



0800 169 2061 staffordshire.gov.uk/fostering

f facebook.com/staffsfosterandadopt

Call now for an information pack

“Fostering gives us a great sense of achievement, helping a child to make progress, advocating for them and seeing them get the support they need.”

Tracy and David, Foster Carers



fostering for staffordshire

Documents