Fostering in Redbridge Do you have space in your life to foster a child?

What is fosteringFostering is a way of offering children and young people a home while their own parents are unable to look after them for various reasons. Foster parents provide a stable, safe environment for a child or young person until the time is right for them to return home or move into a permanent family.

Many children in our area need the support and care of foster families. They come from all backgrounds and cultures, therefore we need a wide range of foster parents that reflect the diversity within our community who can provide homes where children will fit in and feel part of a family.

Fostering is fun, fulfilling and hugely rewarding. It can also be exhausting and frustrating. But most foster parents say it is the most satisfying and worthwhile job they’ve ever done.

Short term fostering

In most instances, children are placed with foster parents with the intention to reunite them with their families as soon as possible. A child placed in short term care may be as the result of a parent’s illness or an inability to cope at the time due to difficulties and pressures they are currently experiencing. Social workers will be working with the family to try and assist them to ensure that the family can be together again. You as a foster parent will play a key role in this as you will provide contact, giving the child the opportunity to see their family on a regular basis. Contact may be at your home or may be at a venue agreed by the child’s social worker. A short term placement can be anything up to two years.

Permanent fostering

If it has been decided that for whatever reason it is not appropriate for a child/ children to be returned to their family, a longer term placement is required. A permanent home for a fostered child will give them stability and make them feel that they are part of a family. This will give them the opportunity they need to grow and to develop to achieve their full potential. In most cases the child/children will still have arranged contact with their family however the frequency and arrangements will be determined by the child’s social worker. The expectation is that the child becomes a member of your family beyond their childhood years.

Fostering teenagers

Teenage years can be a difficult time for all young people as they try to become more independent and make sense of their world. For young people who have gone through particularly distressing and traumatic events during their childhood, it can be a very unsettling time. This is a critical stage in a young person’s life and they need appropriate support and guidance. Without this support and guidance there is a risk that they may display challenging behaviour and get involved in anti-social lifestyles that could seriously affect their future.

We are looking for foster parents who can be tolerant, patient and flexible but who can also set clear and consistent boundaries, so young people know where they stand and what is expected of them. You need to ‘actively’ listen, and help the young person make sense of their world. You will let them know they’ve got someone who they can talk to who really cares about them.

Foster parents for teenagers need particular skills to carry out what can be a very varied and challenging job, and receive a higher level of payment in return.

Fostering children with disabilities

Disability affects children, some are very mild and others are more severe. Children with disabilities ranging from babies to teenagers may be placed with foster parents. Sometimes their parents may feel unable to care for them and these children often need to be placed in long-term foster care. For other families of children with disabilities there might be a need for the child to be placed regularly with foster parents for a few days each week, or each month, to help support the family, enabling them to take a break. Supporting both the family of a disabled child as well as the child can be hugely rewarding and is often referred to as respite foster care.

Fostering sibling groups

Leaving your family to live with a foster parent is a daunting enough experience for any child or young person, but when it also means that you have to be separated from your brothers and sisters, then the experience is all the more upsetting and unsettling. This is why we are always keen to actively recruit foster parents who can help us to keep brothers and sisters together in one foster family.

Caring for sibling groups requires flexible, energetic, organised foster parents with good support from family and friends and of course plenty of space at home.

Parent & baby fostering

Sometimes concerns are identified about a parent’s ability to provide ‘good enough’ care for their baby. In such circumstances, foster parents may be asked to provide a foster placement for both the parent and the baby. These can be challenging, but rewarding placements where foster parents support a young person to care for their baby, by teaching them how to parent and care safely for their child in your own home.

Emergency fostering

Some foster parents offer emergency care, which may mean a child being placed with them out of office hours by the Emergency Duty Team, occasionally in the middle of the night. Emergency foster care is most frequently used in a crisis situation. Plans will be made regarding the child’s situation on the next working day.

The rewards

Fostering is both challenging and rewarding. Foster parents receive an allowance to care for each foster child, this amount depends on the age of the child. The rates are available upon request.

You will help make a difference to the children in your care by supporting children through a difficult time in their lives, helping them feel good about themselves when they are feeling at their most vulnerable and uncertain and where possible, helping keep families together.

What support will I receive if I become a foster parent?Full training will be given to enable you to become a foster parent. Once you have been approved by our Fostering Panel you will continue working with your Supervising Social Worker who will be there to support you and monitor the work you do with children, to help to develop your skills. The child in your care will have their own social worker.

Once you have become a foster parent, there will be ongoing training opportunities for you to develop your skills and knowledge. You will also have the opportunity to meet other foster parents and join in our support groups.

You will be given membership to the National Fostering Network who will offer further support and give you the opportunity to contact other foster parents.

Can I foster?Most people can become foster parents, you can be:

• single, married or in a partnership, regardless of your sexuality

• male or female• a homeowner or tenant• from any cultural background As a foster parent you will need:

A spare room – each foster child will need to have their own room.

Time – you will be required to take children to and from school and attend any appointments and meetings on behalf of the child during the day, including contact with their birth family.

Tolerance – the majority of children coming into care will be uncertain of their future. As a foster parent you will need to be understanding and supportive during this difficult period in their lives.

To respect confidentiality – foster parents have access to a lot of information about the children they care for. There is a need for confidentiality and sensitivity around sharing any of the information – remember it belongs to the child.

To facilitate contact – foster parents need to be available to take children to and from contact with family members. It is expected that you will hold contact sessions in your own home. However, the safety of your family will be taken into consideration and if appropriate will be offered at a different venue.

Step five

We ask you to nominate six people who know you well and whom we can interview for a personal reference. From those six we will contact three people to be referees. We also take up a number of other references, eg your employer (if you are employed), or the head teacher of your children’s school (if you have children of school age).

Step six

All the information is pulled together by the Supervising Social Worker into a report. You will go through the report with your Supervising Social Worker and can make your own comments. This is presented to the Fostering Panel which meets once a month – you will be expected to attend with your Supervising Social Worker. The panel makes the recommendation to the Panel Decision Maker to either approve or not approve you as a foster parent.

Step seven

Once you have been approved, you will continue to work with your Supervising Social Worker. They will visit you regularly and help match your skills and family circumstances with children who are waiting for a foster home. Any additional support you may require will be incorporated in your training.

Assessment Process

Steps to becoming a foster parent

Step one

Enquire by telephone or email and register your interest, we will discuss the process in more detail.

Step two

If you are able to progress to the next step, we will arrange an initial visit to your home – this will be carried out by a Supervising Social Worker. This is a ‘finding out session’, you are under no obligation to continue. At the end of the meeting you will be provisionally advised whether you are able to proceed. The Supervising Social Worker will compile a report with a recommendation whether or not to proceed which will be given to the Fostering Manager for approval. You will be notified in writing of the decision whether or not to proceed.

If approval has been given, you will be sent an application form to complete and return within two weeks. This form gives the Council permission to carry out

police and other checks. Police checks are necessary because people who have committed certain offences are not eligible to become foster parents. You will also be asked to have a health check to make sure you do not have any major health problems.

Step three

You will be invited to attend a three day ‘Skills To Foster’ training course.

Step four

You will be allocated a Supervising Social Worker who will carry out your fostering assessment. During the assessment they will make a number of visits to your home to discuss your life, your childhood, the way your family functions and other subjects that might affect the way you would care for a child placed with you. You have detailed conversations about the skills and qualities that foster parents need and how you can demonstrate you have these skills.

foster parents grow in confidence as we work together and find themselves caring exceptionally well for children they might originally never have thought they could look after.

Do foster children see their family?Children in foster care need to know that their own family, friends and significant others still care about them. Foster parents have a crucial part to play in helping children keep in touch with their families and other people who are important to them. Parents also need to be reassured that their child is being well cared for.

Arrangements for contact are sorted out as quickly as possible and will be discussed with you. However contact arrangements can change when the Court is involved.

Foster parents need to be available to take children to and from contact with family members. It is expected that you will hold contact sessions in your own home. However, the safety of your family will be taken into consideration and if appropriate will be offered at a different venue.

It is an expectation that foster parents will take children to and from school, to appointments, attend child care reviews and enable contact with their birth families. They should also support and encourage the child/children if they are interested in after school clubs and activities.

How long does it take?Every situation is different, but on average from the initial home visit to approval at panel the length of time is usually six months.

Am I too old?As long as you possess the necessary skills, you can become a foster parent.

Will I meet the child’s parents?A foster child’s parents are very important to them and one of the first considerations when a child is placed with you is what contact there will be with family and friends. As well as the child’s parents you will also be working with many other people, including social workers, health professionals and education specialists.

What do I do if there is a problem after working hours?We provide an ‘out of hours’ Emergency Duty Team (EDT). You will be given their number and will be able to contact them. You should ask EDT to contact the Fostering Services Manager so that a member of the team can contact you as soon as possible.

Will my sexuality stop me from becoming a foster parent?No. Our aim is to provide children with the best possible life chances and that means offering the opportunity to foster from diverse backgrounds. There are many qualities that people bring to parenting and we are interested in your ability to provide a loving, stable home to a child.

Have all the children needing foster care been abused or neglected?No not necessarily. However, most children will be experiencing a period of uncertainty or may be going through a family crisis. Moving into a strange house may be upsetting and worrying for some and each child will have been affected by separation and loss. Foster parents need to be sensitive and understanding to the child’s needs.

Can I still go out to work if I become a foster parent?Fostering is usually a full time job for at least one foster parent - we know that this helps children and young people feel safe and helps you be available for meetings, training and in the holidays. So if you’re applying as a couple we prefer one person to be at home full time. There are some exceptions – perhaps for foster parents who just provide respite or short breaks for children with disabilities.

If you are a single carer you will need to fully consider how you will meet all the child’s needs. This will be fully discussed during the assessment process.

Can I choose the age range or gender I would prefer to foster?Yes you can. We work with you to work out what child or children will best fit in with your family and sometimes that’s about the age and gender of a child you feel confident to work with. Often our

Frequently asked questions

The next stepIf you are interested in taking

the next step, please call

the Duty Fostering Team on

020 8708 7528 who will be

pleased to talk to you.

www.redbridge.gov.uk/fostering