What is Fostering?

Disabled children or those with special needs often require extra specialised care meaning that their Foster Parents need to be experienced in more complex care. Children may have physical, learning or sensory difficulties or have a diagnosis of Autism. If you have your own child with similar complex needs or have cared for a child with similar needs you could already possess many of the skills needed to make an excellent specialist Foster Parent.

If you would like more information, then Contact Us to begin your fostering journey.

Foster Parents open their homes to children and young person who can not live with their own family for a period of time. There may be a number of reasons why a child can no longer be able to stay at home with their families but the role of the Foster Parent is to look after them in the meantime and provide them with a safe, secure and stable home whilst helping them to thrive and develop.

Children with complex needs or disabilities also need to be Fostered, so we always welcome applications from parents of children with similar needs. You already possess the skills that you need to be an excellent Foster Parent to many of our children.

The main role of a Foster Parent is to:

✓ Provide support and care - just like any normal parent would, Foster Parents are expected to do all they can to support children and young people in their education, health and social wellbeing. They will be on hand to teach them everyday personal and lifestyle skills just like any parent would.

✓ Attend meetings and manage information - Foster Parents need to attend regular meetings to ensure the welfare of a Fostered child is being met adequately in regards to their general progress along with their day-to-day care and any special educational or health needs. They also need to keep records and manage confidential and sensitive information regarding the child.

✓ Manage behaviour – some looked-after children and young people may have different behavioural issues which become apparent as a way of coping with certain experiences. A Foster Parent will need to be able to recognise these behaviours and needs and work with us to identify strategies to help a child manage their feelings and actions. We follow a fully therapeutic model of Foster parenting so you will have a 360° package of support available to you, available to you and your children – from on call Supervising Social Workers, to dedicated Psychotherapists, Life Story practitioners, education specialists and child advocates (EAGALS).

✓ Manage relationships - it is important Foster Parents know how to effectively communicate with not only Fostered children and young people but also a network of people 

✓ Manage relationships - it is important Foster Parents know how to effectively communicate with not only Fostered children and young people but also a network of people including Local Authority Social Workers, the By the Bridge team, birth families and anyone else who has an interest in the child's well-being.

✓ Attend training – we help all our Foster Parents to develop their skills and knowledge to build confidence and feel secure enough to look after a child or young person competently. We offer ongoing therapeutic Foster Parenting training to all our Foster Parents throughout their career.

If you would like to know more about working with a leading therapeutic fostering organisation, Contact Us and help change young people's lives.