Frequently Asked Questions About Being a Foster Carer

WHAT IS FOSTERING?

Fostering means looking after children or young people in your own home for either short or long term placements, or for periods of respite, whilst their families are unable to provide care for them.

Whenever possible, children return to their birth family, but if they are unable to do so, other plans are made for them, such as long-term fostering, or adoption.

Many aspects are considered before a child is placed with you and every effort is made to ensure that the child and your own family are well matched; this includes taking into account cultural and religious considerations.

 WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FOSTERING FOR AN INDEPENDENT AGENCY AND A LOCAL AUTHORITY?

Local authorities recruit foster carers to care for children and young people for whom they hold legal responsibility.   However, if they do not have an appropriate placement with one of their own foster carers, they will ask independent agencies if they can offer a suitable foster home with one of their foster carers instead.   Sometimes this is because the young person has complex needs, or they cannot be placed with other children in the household, or they may need to be placed in a family group together with several other siblings.  

Because of the high level of need that these children present, independent agencies provide their foster carers with a very high level of support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.   Agencies also pay their foster carers a professional fee as well as an allowance to cover their costs;  they also provide regular training and specialist support to enable carers to meet the needs of the foster child(ren) they look after.

CAN WE BE FOSTER CARERS?

You need no written qualifications to be a foster carer.   You do need to have an ability to care for and protect children to the very high standards that we require.   Most agencies welcome people from all ethnic origins, whether they are married, or have a partner and irrespective of sexual orientation. However you will be expected  to have some experience of caring for or working with children and young people.   Potential carers also usually have to be over 25. You can live in either private or rented accommodation, but it is essential that you have at least one spare bedroom which can be used for fostering.

You will probably be required to undertake initial training along with further on-going training whilst working as a foster carer.   This is usually a contractual obligation and enables you to keep pace with the many legislative changes that occur, whilst also improving your skills and knowledge level.   In addition, foster carers are actively encouraged to gain an NVQ qualification (although this is not compulsory).

HOW OLD ARE FOSTER CHILDREN?

From birth to beyond 18 is the full range. Children will only be placed with you that match your family, preferences, skills and accommodation.  

WHY ARE CHILDREN FOSTERED?

There are many reasons why children are fostered.   Sometimes it is simply because their family cannot cope due to illness or bereavement, so a child needs to be looked after by foster carers for a short period of time.   At other times it may be necessary to find a safe place for a child who has been living in a harmful or unhappy situation.

ARE THERE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FOSTERING?

These types of fostering are the most frequently requested.

Short Term  -  this can mean anything from a few days to a number of months.   The purpose of this type of fostering is to enable Social Services to offer support and assessment to the child's family in order to make decisions about whether the child should return home or move to a long-term foster carer.

Long-Term (permanency) - increasingly, long-term fostering is being referred to as 'permanency'.   This type of placement is for children whose families are unable to look after them until they reach adulthood, but who will continue to be very much part of the child's life; because of this, adoption is not an appropriate option.

There is an expectation that long-term foster carers will make a commitment to the child until they reach the age of eighteen years and beyond if necessary.

Respite  -  respite might be a period of a few hours, overnight or for several days or weeks.   The purpose of this type of fostering is to give families help at times of crisis, such as a hospital admission, to support other carers who may need a short break from the fostering task, or to help if they have a personal situation which means they cannot foster for a brief period of time.

Mother and Baby  -  often if a mother is very young (a teenager), or perhaps has special needs, Social Workers like to place the mother and baby with a family who will support and care for them while the mother learns the skills and responsibilities associated with parenting.  The timescale of this type of fostering can be from several weeks to several months and will largely depend on the progress the mother makes in learning to care responsibly and appropriately for her child.

WHAT ABOUT FINANCES?

Foster carers are usually paid a weekly amount to enable them to provide the child with a high standard of care.   This covers all costs such as food, pocket money, clothing, normal travel to and from school etc.;  it also includes a payment element for foster carers.

Foster carers are self-employed and therefore responsible for their own income tax.

If you would like to know more please visit the Safehouses North website at safehousesnorth.org.uk safehousesnorth.org.uk