Specialist Foster Carers
What is the Specialist Fostering Scheme?
The Specialist fostering scheme aims to enable the provision of local foster care for young people with complex needs. The scheme provides carers with a high level of training and support to provide the best possible care.
Placements are ‘solo’ placements where there is a single looked after young person in placement at any one time. The young people selected for this scheme will exhibit a high level of need; these could be physical, emotional or behavioural needs. They may have previously lived in a residential placement or in a placement outside their local area due to the difficulty of meeting their needs. There will be a requirement for carers to work with a team of professionals to enable the placement to succeed.
Placements may be long or short term, dependent on the needs of the young person. Respite carers are also needed to provide respite breaks for the scheme, so the main carers can have a regular break (involves weekends and some time in school holidays).
If you are part of a couple at least one of you will need to be committed to the scheme full time. Young people with high level needs may be out of education for periods of time and carers need to be available. It is envisaged, however, that young people will have educational packages to ensure they receive education and to support the stability of the placement.
The young people placed with specialist carers may be any age between 5 and 17, although it is expected the average age will be 10-16 years. Placements will be carefully matched to meet the needs of the children/young people as much as possible.
What you can expect:
- Ongoing training and development
- Approximately £700 weekly allowance
- Monthly weekend respite when needed to support the placement
- 4 weeks paid holiday a year on a retainer rate
- Weekly supervision and regular support meetings
- Regular consultation with the support team
- Frequent reviews of the young person’s progress
- 24 hour telephone support
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Access to emergency support workers
We need people who will have:
- Full commitment to working with the young person
- Flexible attitude towards new approaches and ideas
- Time, energy and commitment
- A “can do” attitude
- Ability to work as part of a team
- Ability to contribute to assessments
- Ability to work on creative solutions to issues arising
- Resilience and the ability to persevere when the going gets tough
We are looking for carers preferably with no children or young people under 16 still at home.
Specialist Foster Carers- Solo Scheme Requirements.
- Where carers have a vacancy they will be expected to take a placement, having due regard to matching issues.One carer will be available at all times.Carers will be able to undertake assessment of needs and provide written reports.
- Carers will be expected to give evidence in court as required.
- Carers will contribute to care plans by completing specific pieces of work.
- Carers will have skills to contribute to rehabilitation plans for child/young person to return home and to work alongside social workers and other professionals.
- Carers will have the ability to put into practice therapeutic and behaviour management techniques with children with complex needs.
- Carers will be available for children and young people on school exclusion and form part of their education package.
- Carers will make themselves available to ‘buddy’ new carers, offering advice and support to them.
- Carers will assist in the recruitment and training of new carers
- Carers will give 3 weeks notice to end placements unless there are safer caring issues.
- Carers will be committed to their own training and development and will complete training/NVQ within agreed reasonable time scales and attend support events.
- Carers will have very high levels of skill and experience either from fostering or from working with children in other capacities, and be able to rise to the challenge of complex needs children and sustain a commitment to their care in a positive way.
- Carers will be available to take placements in an emergency, as assessed for suitability by their FPO/EDS Social Worker
- Carers can be approved for long/short term or respite
- Carers will be required to attend support groups and consultations and will receive support to do this
- Carers will have no other children or young people under 16 living in the home and will take “solo” placements only