FAQs
What are the advantages in choosing to foster for your local authority?
Placing children within their local communities helps them maintain contact with their friends, school and family. If you foster for us, we can provide you with a wider placement choice and gradually build up your confidence, skills and experience. This is a good way to find out what type of fostering suits your situation.
How long does the whole process take?
We aim to complete the assessment process within 6 months of receiving your application form.
How long after approval am I likely to wait before a placement is made?
With new inexperienced carers the placements are dependent on suitable matches. Some carers have started taking placements immediately after approval and others have waited for a couple of months. Each potential placement will be fully discussed with you
Can a foster child share a room with my children?
Foster Carers are required to have a separate bedroom available for fostering.
How many children can I be approved for?
This will be dependent upon the number of bedrooms available, whether the Looked After Children are related (young siblings can in some circumstances share a room) and your assessed ability to provide the necessary care needs for the children placed with you.
What happens if I want a night off?
We encourage Foster Carers to identify their own trusted support network who will offer you occasional babysitting or the odd day off.
What about holidays?
If you are planning a family holiday and wish to include any young person currently placed with you it is necessary to discuss this with the child's social worker at the earliest opportunity. This practice is usually encouraged but in some circumstances it may not be possible. An annual holiday allowance is payable in respect of each child/young person in placement. This is a contribution towards the additional costs involved. If it's not possible for a young person to join you, a respite placement will be provided.
Are children always placed within their local community?
Where possible, children will be placed near their existing support systems including family, friends and educational establishments. However, where this is not possible, every effort will be made to enable them to maintain links that are important to them. Where appropriate transport will be provided to enable them to continue at their existing school.
What if the young person is excluded from school?
Where a young person is either temporarily or permanently excluded from education, a Looked After Children Education Advisor will be involved in identifying a suitable alternative package.
Will the parents know where I live?
Because the plan is for most children to be returned to their families, it is important in most cases that regular contact continues. This may involve telephone calls to the child and/or occasional visits in your home. Contact with the child's family may also take place outside of your home where very frequent visits are agreed.
What if I take a child with specific health needs?
To ensure the health of Looked After Children we recognise some carers and children will benefit from additional specialised services. These should be agreed early on in the placement or when a need arises.
How will fostering affect our family life?
Fostering very much involves your whole family, although it is appreciated that in many situations one of the adults is often the main carer. We recognise that birth children can find it difficult to share their homes and families and we will offer as much support as possible in this area.
Is there a lot of paperwork involved?
Where possible, we will provide you with written background information on the young people placed with you and all foster carers are expected to keep brief written records of the child's time with them. Your family placement officer will offer you support and guidance with this.