Fostering

What is Fostering?

Foster carers care for children who cannot safely remain at home and whose parents or relatives are unable to care for them. Children are accommodated in emergencies but more often on a planned basis.

 

Children who are accommodated have a wide variety of needs. Their experience of family life has often been chaotic and centred around the adult’s needs or difficulties. They will have had inconsistent, unstable, often abusive, experiences. They may have been exposed to violence, crime, drugs and alcohol abuse or left with inappropriate adults. Parents may have addiction or mental health difficulties.

 

Children arrive in foster care scared and anxious. Foster care can be their first experience of a stable child-centred routine with consistent rules and expectations. Children will be frequently distressed, sad and confused. This can manifest itself in a variety of ways, i.e. tantrums, confrontational behaviour, withdrawal, running away, self-harm, stealing and illnesses.

 

The task of the foster carer is:

• to offer physical and emotional care to a child on behalf of the local authority
• to meet the individual needs of any child in their care
• to work collaboratively with social workers and other agencies involved in the child’s life
• to work in partnership with parents
• to enable and support contact between a child and his/her parents
• to attend meetings regarding the child    
• to attend Children’s Hearings in relation to the child
• to provide an assessment of child’s needs
• to help the child express his wishes/feelings
• to ensure the child has relevant medical/dental checks

What kind of Foster Placements do children need?

• Respite

Carers are needed who are able to offer weekend and holiday care.

 

Respite care can be for children placed in residential schools who have no family to return to at weekends and holidays, to cover for foster carers when they are on holiday or have family commitments or to support on a regular basis where a child’s placement is complicated and to care for children with disabilities from a few days to block weeks.

• Temporary or short-term foster care

When a child is accommodated full-time with a foster carer because it is not appropriate for her/him to be at home. This can be anything from a few days to over a year.

 

Children remain with a carer while attempts are made to work with parents to assess whether the child can return home.

• Long term or permanent foster care

For those children for whom a decision is made that they cannot return to live with their family, but where adoption is not appropriate, long term or permanent foster care is sought.

 

Often the temporary carer who has had the child from the beginning will offer to care for the child on a permanent fostering basis.

What does the assessment process involve?

Assessments are carried out using the British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering Guidelines and it is a requirement by law to carry out statutory checks.

 

The following checks are carried out:

• medical/health
• community health (e.g. health visitor)
• disclosure Scotland (police check)
• 2 personal references
• local authority

The areas covered by the assessment are personal history, family background, lifestyle, employment history, parenting, experience of children, matching issues.

 

Discussions also take place with applicants about the kind of fostering placements which would best suit their skills, abilities, household and practical circumstances.

 

Applicants’ written assessments are submitted for approval to Falkirk Council’s Fostering Panel. Foster carers are registered for a specific number of children, age group and gender.

The Assessment Process: From enquiry to approval as foster carers

• Open Information Evening
• Enquiry form completed and returned to Child Care Resourcing Team
• Initial interview with Social Worker from Child Care Resourcing Team
• Preparation Group (6 evening sessions)
• Home Study Assessment
• Form F completed
• Fostering Panel
• Approved as foster carers for age range, number and gender

What Falkirk Council Fostering Service offers you

• Preparation for the fostering task prior to assessment
• Allocation of supervising social worker who will provide ongoing support to you as a foster carer
• Payment of an allowance to cover the costs of caring for a child
• Payment of a fee as part of our Payment for Skills scheme.
• Provision of relevant equipment, e.g. beds, bedding, bedroom furniture, high chair, pushchairs.
• Ongoing training on all aspects of foster care
• Membership of monthly foster carers’ support group run by resourcing team social workers
• Provision of safety equipment such as fire extinguisher, smoke alarm
• Fostering Network membership (national voluntary support organisation for foster carers)
• Foster carers’ fun day held annually
• Access  to out of hours emergency social work services

FAQ’s about Falkirk Council’s Fostering Service

Am I too old to foster?

 

No, we consider people who are between 21-65 years old. We do ask applicants to undergo a medical examination, carried out by their own GP to determine whether or not they are medically fit to undertake the task.

 

Do you have to be married?

 

No, we consider single people, people living together, and people who are married/divorced. Currently, due to existing legislation, gay couples cannot foster.

 

Do you have to have a big house?

 

No, as long as you have space for a child either sharing a room with another child or a room of their own.

 

Do I have to have parenting experience?

 

Not necessarily, but you need to have an interest and awareness of children’s needs. We will offer preparation and training for the fostering task and provide ongoing support and any equipment you require.

 

Do you need to be unemployed?

 

If you want to foster a child full-time, one adult needs to be at home even for a school age child as foster carers are frequently involved in meetings, Children’s Hearings and contact arrangements.

 

However, we have children who need weekend/holiday care where it is possible to combine fostering with working.

 

What if I committed an offence when I was younger?

 

We carry out police checks on all applicants which show up all offences. Past offences do not necessarily preclude you and would be discussed with you during the assessment processes. Particular offences against children would exclude you from fostering.

 

Do I have to be wealthy?

 

Fostering allowances and fees are paid to carers which are designed to cover the ‘real’ costs of looking after a child.

 

Still interested?

Contact Fostering and Adoption Services on 01324 504343 for further information.