A foster carer provides a home for children or young people who are unable to live with their own family. This could be for any number of reasons, from illness or some form of temporary crisis to situations of abuse. This alternative care arrangement can usually help to reduce pressures on families and allow time and space for problems to be sorted out so that, ultimately, the children can return home.
How long a child stays with a foster carer varies enormously. It may be days or it could be many years. It all depends upon the specific
circumstances. All ages of children can be fostered, from small babies to teenagers, and in London children also come from a wide range of ethnic and religious backgrounds. Some children will have special needs or disabilities of various kinds. Whatever the situation the children will be going through a period of change and upheaval which is unsettling and potentially traumatic. It is therefore important that carers are patient and sensitive to each child’s differing needs and challenges.
Luckily this is not a solo mission. Foster carers share responsibility for the children they foster with the parent(s) of those children and with the local authority. Most children who are fostered will
eventually go home to their own family and this is always the goal. Foster carers are not there to replace the parents, but to work with those parents and social workers to help eventually reunite
families that have had to part for a period of time.
Pcc has been aware for sometime that Foster Carers occasionally need a break. For that reason, we have put in place Respite Care. Respite Foster Carers look after a child for another Foster Carer, this is for a short period of time (eg. maybe during the day or overnight). This is helpful both in allowing the carers to have a short break and in giving the child a chance to meet new people and build social relationships.
In the case of a child having a disability or learning difficulty, additional pressures are placed on family life and this is where Respite Foster Care really comes into it’s own.
Respite Foster Carers are approved in the same way as Foster Carers, and are provided with appropriate financial support. Pcc will offer additional specific training where necessary.
For more information on support care, please contact us
We hope that this basic introduction to fostering and respite support has made you want to find out more then please contact us
Once we have heard from you we can then:
Send you more detailed information on the area you are interested in, as well as a preliminary application form.
Arrange for a social worker to visit you so that you can ask any questions and we can find out more about what you can offer.
If you still then want to proceed: We will start the formal assessment process, including police checks
If you have other family members we will talk to them about how they feel.
There will be meetings where you will learn more about what is involved and be able to talk to existing carers and other prospective carer.
The Ur info book is one of the booklets we hand out to the fostered children within PCC, please take time to have a look at this publication and send us your thoughts. Click image belowe to download booklet.
