What Support is Available for Foster Carers?
Becoming a foster carer is a rewarding job but can be equally challenging. Therefore, you need support and assistance to help you care for children and young people well. Here is a highlight of the support that is available for you as a foster carer.
As a foster carer, you have extensive support from your fostering agency, local authority, and social workers. Fostering is a collective responsibility, thus, the support is all-rounded. As a foster carer, you will be supported in different ways.
Support from your fostering service
The fostering agency that has the child placement plan should inform you about the needs of the child. The fostering service will organise meetings to monitor the child’s progress and provide further guidance to help you support the child well.
Here is a highlight of what your family should get:
- Unlimited access to support even after work hours
- Guidance to join support groups
- Financial and emotional support
- Training and personal development plan
- An opportunity to take a break from fostering if you need it.
Fostering allowance
This is financial support that you will receive on weekly basis to cater to the needs of the foster child. It is a way of easing your financial burden when caring for a foster child. The weekly amount that you get depends on the fostering agency. However, the minimum weekly fostering allowance is between £137 and £240.
As a foster carer, you should have contact with two social workers.
- A social worker attached to your foster child to help the child meet his/her needs
- A supervising social worker to support your fostering needs.
Your supervising social worker should:
- Provide emotional support
- Help you to develop your fostering skills
- Talk to you about your fostering concerns
In addition, the social worker needs to inform you about the policies governing:
- Behaviour management of a foster child
- The financial support offered to foster carers
- How to file complaints
The same social worker will review your suitability as a foster carer annually. Occasionally, the social worker may organise meetings for the benefit of the foster child.
Social worker visits
As part of continuous support, the social worker must visit you:
- The first week after a foster child has been placed under your care
- At least once every 6 weeks in your first year of living with a foster child
- At least once every 3-6 months after a child has lived with you for more than a year.
They are also obliged to make an unannounced visit at least once a year.
Summary
The UK Government Department of Education requires that foster carers get sufficient support to help them with their duties of caring for foster children and young people. You can visit the government’s website about the support available for foster carers for more information.
