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A collaborative service for:
Cheshire East Council Cheshire West and Chester Halton Borough Council Knowsley Council Liverpool Council St Helens Council Warrington Borough Council Wiral Council
A collaborative service for:
Cheshire East Council Cheshire West and Chester Halton Borough Council Warrington Borough Council
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New Year, New (or additional) career?

17 Jan 2022 | Uncategorised

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Thinking of something new you can do in 2022?

January is of course a time for setting new goals. Could yours be to become a foster carer?

If you’re thinking of joining the 450 households who foster with us, like Paul from Warrington (pictured) and his wife Bev, and want to know just how it works when you’re approved, read on.

So you get the application process, what happens once you’re approved?

As a foster carer with Foster4, you have the opportunity to care for children of all ages from 0-18, and can let us know the type of care you’d like to undertake, or be completely open minded.

Every child or young person’s circumstances are different, just like yours. Some will need care for just a few days or weeks whilst problems at home are sorted out. Others will need care for months or years when future plans are uncertain- often whilst court proceedings take place. Others need a family to be part of for the rest of their childhoods and beyond- when it has been decided through the courts that this is most appropriate for them.

Once you’re approved, you’re placed on your Local Authority’s register of approved carers. Your preferences, the type of care you’d like to provide and your contact details are recorded briefly here. When the fostering team receive a referral from one of the children’s social work teams, the team review the information within it. The referral details the child’s personality, needs, practical things like where they go to school, nursery or college, the reasons for them being brought into our care and how links to their family will be maintained, if appropriate. The reasons for meeting thresholds to be brought into care can be very varied, but neglect is sadly a major factor in 90% of circumstances.

The team then look at which carers have what we call ‘vacancies’- a spare bedroom available to accommodate a child at that time. They then undertake an in-depth matching process against a set framework and see which carers could best meet the needs of that specific child, young person (or sibling group’s) needs. This includes an assessment of factors, including the carers location in relation to schools or the child’s home address, the strengths of the carer and their household make up and circumstances.

Carers will then be contacted and the information in the referral will be provided to you for your consideration. You’ll be given some time to consider whether you think you could provide the care and to ask any further questions- although the team may need confirmation quickly if in an emergency situation for example.

If the child or young person requires long-term care, and are perhaps moving from a short-term carer or residential provision, many conversations will take place, along with an introductory period which may include tea time visits or over nights, before  they come to you permanently.

Around the time they come to you, you will have a placement planning meeting, where you will discuss the more specific details of their care, such as what support you’ll receive for their particular needs, what dates they’ll see siblings, parents or wider family for family time for example.

From here, you’ll be busy settling the child or young person in, providing reassurance, stability and care, all at the child’s pace. You’ll find your feet quickly as a foster carer, with the support of your supervising social worker, a mentor and of course your incredible fellow foster carers, of which there will always be many in your local area.

Feeling informed and inspired? Does fostering sound like something you can achieve in 2022?

Enquire today at foster4.co.uk/enquire