Have you got the skills to foster?
“You wake up and your feet just don’t touch the ground – it is exhausting, but I love it! The best bit is seeing their little faces in the morning. They are fantastic.” Sue Wilson of Welford “We wish we’d done it years ago. The grandchildren love it and I think it’s made them better people and given them a different outlook on life.” Gail Temple, Loughborough
“The best bit is seeing them grow in confidence and helping them to become independent, such as helping them open a bank account or even catch a bus.” Wendy Bond, Hickling
Sue, Gail and Wendy are just three of the army of over 200 foster carers, who look after over 270 of our children in care.
We always need more foster carers to give children safe and caring homes while they are unable to live with their own families.
Foster carers can be:
•Working or unemployed
•Single or living with a partner
•Have their own children or none at all
•Male or female, from any race or culture
•A home owner or tenant - so long as there is enough space
•Any age whether from your 20s to your 60s.
Children in care in Leicestershire have told the County Council that they want foster carers who are: “Understanding, reliable, supportive, caring, easy to talk to, sensitive, non-judgemental, have interests in common, are good at listening and don’t bring up our past.”
They also want foster carers to know that they:
•Have their own family
•May have emotional difficulties
•Want to be treated the same as carers’ own children
•May not want to talk about problems
•Want to be independent.
During Foster Care Fortnight from 17th – 30th May we are asking: Do you have the skills to foster? Foster care has changed dramatically over the last 30 years. Today, fostering is a career, uniquely combining family life with a skilled profession.
Ivan Ould, Leicestershire County Council’s Cabinet Member for the Children and Young People’s Service, said: “Fostering is a hugely worthwhile profession. It gives children who can’t live with their families a safe home where they can be nurtured and feel secure.”
In Leicestershire we need foster carers to look after children of all ages, for short-term placements or longer periods. In particular we need:
•Carers to give homes to children aged eight and over, right up until they are old enough to leave home
•Carers to look after groups of brothers and sisters so they can stay together, for short and long-term placements
•Professional fee-paid carers to look after young people aged 11 and over who may have challenging behaviour or are on remand. This is the carers 'job' and they would get paid for it.
Leicestershire County Council offers good support, a comprehensive training programme and an out-of-hours support service. Professional fees are paid in appropriate cases. There is quite a lengthy training and assessment process but carers agree that this helps to prepare them, as well as protecting children.
For more information see the Fostering page.