Support Provided
- Once you are approved you are allocated your own Supervising Social Worker, who completes minimum fortnightly supervision visits, keeps in regular telephone contact with you, liaises with the Local Authority, and provides advice and guidance regarding the fostering task.
- During office hours, if you are unable to contact your own Social Worker, a duty system is operated at each regional office by other qualified staff to provide any extra support/advice you might need.
- We also offer a 24 hour on call duty system operated by members of staff who all know our Foster Carers and are familiar with their circumstances and the children or young people in placement. A duty system is also operated by the Senior Managers who are available for consultation or in the event of an emergency.
You will know who you are talking to because you will have met all our staff in the office by the time you are an approved Foster Carer for Team Fostering, and they will know you. We don’t use call centres because we believe that it is far more important to maintain that individual, personal contact with people, especially if you are experiencing problems.
At Team Fostering we also think that it’s important to enjoy the ‘fun’ side of fostering and have the chance to meet with other Carers and their children.
- We provide a range of activities and events during all the holiday times, and extra activities at Christmas. These events and activities are not only for the children and young people in placement but also for the Foster Carers and their family. We try to make these age appropriate so that all of our children and young people have the chance to enjoy the activities.
- An annual caravan holiday is also provided during the Spring Bank Holiday, which is always well attended and great fun.
We also provide other support which we feel makes a difference;
- Education Support from our own qualified workers to help with any difficulties that the child or young person may be experiencing and to ensure school attendance and promote their educational needs.
- Our Foster Carers also receive 21 days paid short break care entitlement, and receive a cash alternative if this is not used.
- We offer our Foster Carers a comprehensive training package to enable them to feel fully informed and able to meet the needs of the children in their care.
- Membership of the Fostering Network organisation, an independent organisation that will provide advice and support on a range of topics, a quarterly magazine and a helpline if necessary.
- We provide all our Foster Carers with a newly revised ‘Guide to Fostering Handbook’, which covers any questions or queries you may have as well information about our Policies and Procedures.
- We provide a ‘Preparation to Independence Workbook’, written by one of our Foster Carers and young people, to all our young people aged 15 years and over and to all Foster Carer households, which provides information and advice about preparing for independence.
- We will provide financial support to our young people aged 16 years and over to help them move onto independence, over and above the financial support provided by the Local Authority.
- We offer a financial incentive to Foster Carers who recommend other potential Carers to the Agency, who are then successfully approved by us.
At Team Fostering we very much value our foster carers, and have a whole ‘team’ approach to caring for children and young people. The staff employed in the Admin and Placement teams are also involved in providing help and support whenever possible and enjoy the interaction with the foster carers, and in meeting new carers when they visit the office.