Fostering - Your questions answered

Welcome to Gateshead Council's Fostering team. We're so glad you're considering becoming a Foster Carer and you've made a great choice by coming to us. Our offer is second to none - with a support network made up of our fantastic group of professionals and underpinned by our community of foster carers. Because we are a Local Authority, we are the most direct route to looked after children in the borough.

We can provide you with a range of training and support to allow you to gain confidence and flourish in your fostering role.

A number of children across Gateshead are in need of a temporary or permanent home.

For various reasons it may not be appropriate for them to stay with their birth family.

They need a secure and stable environment in which to live. Fostering can, quite literally, make a positive difference to the lives of everyone involved and there are many ways that you could make a difference.

This information has been produced to help you decide whether fostering is right for you. It will give you the opportunity to learn more about fostering for Gateshead and hopefully answer many of the questions that you may have.

Every child has the right to live in a safe and caring home.

Fostering is about looking after children in a safe and secure environment when they can't live with their own families.

Following incidents such as family difficulties, illness or drug related problems, it is sometimes best for a child to be placed in a foster home. In some cases fostering can be very short term, perhaps even overnight, and many children return home to their parents once the problem has been resolved. In other cases, children are unable to return home and need permanent foster care, or even adoption.

Fostering is not always an easy ride. Some of the children and young people needing care have experienced violence or abuse, many will be distressed and some may be very demanding. All children are likely to experience some anxiety at moving from their home into a new environment and will need stability and the support of caring, loving foster carers.

You must be able to:

• be patient, understanding, tolerant and be able to provide a warm and secure home
• have the extra time and energy a foster child would need
• be willing to develop new skills
• communicate effectively and work positively with a child's family
• commit to training on an on-going basis to develop your skills and knowledge
• work as part of a team with other foster carers and social workers
• encourage and support children and young people in their education
• be able to bounce back and overcome problems you may meet
• have enough space in your home - preferably a spare bedroom or proper sharing arrangements
• be prepared for us to learn more about you and your family. By law this involves an assessment process including training, personal and medical references, police and statutory checks

Foster carers come from all different walks of life.

Our first considerations are that you can offer a safe and secure environment and can understand some of the feelings and worries.

How old must I be?

There is no age limit and all cases are reviewed on an individual basis. We do ask that younger foster carers are emotionally mature and have experience of being around children and that all foster carers are fit, healthy and to cope with the pressures of becoming a foster carer.

Do I have to be married?

No we have foster carers who are single and divorced as well as unmarried and married couples.

Do I have to have a job?

No. Carers can be employed or unemployed. You must however be able to meet the needs of the child (for example transporting to school, contact and activities and attending relevant meetings).

Do I need a family of my own?

Many carers are parents with children of their own, whether they are still at home or have grown up and left. However, it is not a necessity and many people who have not had children have become successful foster carers. However it is important that if you have a family, that the whole family are committed to becoming a foster family.

We assess families rather than individuals and everyone must be enthusiastic about their role in a foster child's life. We are not looking for a specific family set up or sexual orientation. You must be able to offer a secure and supportive environment during a difficult time in a child or young persons life.

Can I foster if I smoke?

We aim to provide children with a smoke-free living environment and this is particularly vital for young children or children with health needs. If you are looking to foster children up to 11 years of age, or parent and child placements, you will not be able to smoke at all. If you do smoke and wish to foster older children, it is still expected that your house is smoke free.

What if I have a criminal record?

Minor offences committed a long time ago may not affect your application, however there are certain offences which DO prevent someone from fostering. These include any offence of causing harm to a child, some serious offences of violence and sex offences.

You MUST let us know of ANY convictions or cautions that you have, regardless of the age when committed. If you haven't provided this information from the start we will be unable to proceed with your application.

Do I have to own my own house?

It doesn't matter if you own or rent your home, but foster carers do need to be either the legal tenants or owners of a property. You must be able to offer a foster child or young person their own room and private space.

Can I foster if I am gay or lesbian?

Yes you can, we welcome applications from everyone.

The fostering task

The National Minimum Standards, Fostering Services Regulations 2011 and the National Standards for Foster Care ensure that we meet high standards when it comes to looking after children. As part of this, all foster carers need to be assessed to demonstrate their abilities in four main areas:

• caring for children
• providing a safe and caring environment
• working as part of a team
• their own development (this includes ability to build up a support network and use training opportunities)

Deciding to foster affects the whole family. Foster carers have to balance the needs of the foster child with the needs of their own children. If you have children of your own, you have to consider how they will cope with sharing their toys, their home and their parents with a foster child.

Checks

• we do carry out an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS) to make sure we do not approve people who have a history of violence or crimes against children. A DBS check will also be carried out on all members of the household aged 16 and over
• you will have a medical to ensure you are fit enough to care for children
• there is a Council check to see if you have had any previous involvement with a social services department
• if you have children living at home, we will also need school references, and a health visitor reference if you have children under six years old
• references are sought from your employer, friends who have known you for some time and other family members including children and young people not living at home
• you will also need to consent to your previous partner(s) being contracted

These checks are necessary because we must make sure that foster children are kept safe whilst in our care.

Many people don't realise that there are different types of fostering.

This is a summary of the different types of care looked after children may need.

Short term or temporary fostering

What is this? 

Also known as mainstream fostering, a placement can be anything from one night to several months or even longer, depending on the child's circumstances and the legal situation. Short term fostering occurs when a child needs to be removed from their home for various reasons. Children may be able to return home when difficulties have been resolved.

What to expect

Many of the children needing a family will have had difficult early lives and this can affect their behaviour and development. Foster carers need lots of love and patience to help a child settle into a new environment. Most children benefit enormously from a warm and loving family and make progress in all aspects of their development throughout their time together. In some cases the child may have been neglected or suffered some form of abuse, there may be relationship difficulties, or illness or a death in the family.

Social workers will, wherever possible, be working with the birth family to resolve these problems so that the child can return home as quickly as possible. Therefore one of the most important tasks in temporary placements is to maintain and accept the importance of contact between the child and their families.

If the child cannot return to their family

If a child cannot return home, the placement may last much longer - often more than a year - while the Council finds a permanent home (long term fostering or adoption) for the child. In these cases the child or young person may stay with you until any court work is completed and a permanent or adoptive family is found.

Long-term fostering

What is this?

Although the Council's aim is for children and young people to be cared for by their families, there are some circumstances in which children cannot return to live with their birth parents.

Long term fostering allows a child to retain contact with their family but to be brought up in a safe and caring environment with foster carers.

What to expect

The child or young person remains the responsibility of the Council, and long term foster carers are supported by the child's social workers and by a fostering social worker during the placement.

The child will continue to be visited by a social worker and regular meetings will take place every six months to make sure that the young person is thriving and settled.

Although long term carers are not taking the full legal responsibility for a child (as they do in adoption) they are making a permanent long term commitment to care for a child as a fully integrated member of the foster family and are assessed in relation to this. Long term fostering is very different from adoption.

Some children don't want to be adopted but need to be in a safe and caring environment with foster carers who will help to prepare them for adulthood. Long term fostering provides that security and helps those young people achieve their potential.

Short break care

What is this?

Short break, respite or shared care are all terms used to describe part time care for children. Part time care may be needed to help families in difficulty, providing a break for parents and children. These breaks are often over weekends or holidays.

This type of fostering also offers a break to full time foster carers, often for a weekend or over a holiday period of a week or fortnight. Short break carers also provide cover when foster carers are unwell or face family difficulties.

What to expect

Short break carers may have an ongoing link with a family as a way of providing support on a long term basis. This helps foster carers get to know the family of the child they are caring for.

Parent and child placements

What is this?

The Council sometimes needs carers who can support young parents and help them care for their babies. Some carers have developed skills in this area of work. They take part in assessments and encourage young parents without taking over their parental responsibilities.

Home-from-home

What is this?

This scheme provides disabled children and their families with regular short breaks by linking them with another family. Children and families are matched on an individual basis with foster carers.

What to expect

Some carers provide care for one weekend a month and some children may spend as much time with their carer as they do with their families on a `shared care' arrangement. Home-from-Home carers receive additional specialist training to prepare them for looking after children with differing needs.

Placing children together

We have a particular need for foster carers who can look after sibling groups of two or more children. Although we do try to place sisters and brothers together, sometimes this is not possible.

When siblings cannot be placed together foster families work together to make sure that siblings can have plenty of contact with each other.

Caring for young people ages 16 to 19

What is this?

Some young people are not ready to live independently in a flat or sheltered scheme when they leave a foster carer or a children's home.

They need a `bridging' situation, where they can carry on developing their self care skills and confidence. Supported lodgings allow young people to increase their self-reliance and ability to fend for themselves.

The young person may be in college, or in their first job. Carers who provide supported lodgings undertake the same official checks but undertake a modified assessment, and receive financial and social work support from the Looked After Young People Team. Some young people may need to return to secure lodgings perhaps with a previous carer during college or university holidays.

Jayne Mullen and husband Dave have been foster carers for Gateshead Council since 2012. Jayne left a full time advertising role to pursue fostering and now cares for two young siblings.

We asked Jayne to explain what being a foster carer is really like.

"Being a foster carer is in many respects exactly as you would imagine. You are with your placed child for 24 hours a day. You are responsible for their bedtime routine; taking them to school; feeding them; promoting leisure activities and everything you would do with your own children,

however there is one big difference, and something I certainly didn't appreciate until I started my application to foster."

"As a foster carer I do everything a parent would do, however I am not expected to be the child's guardian and make all the decisions about the child/children."

"Gateshead Council is the Corporate Parent and they have the overall responsibility for that child so there are some things you can't automatically do and need permission for. I am however an integral part of a team of professionals who have responsibility for the child."

"Fostering is ultimately about bringing up a child or children in a safe family environment, however there is so much more to a career in fostering than many people realise. Fostering is rewarding, fulfilling and challenging and has been life changing for me in a positive way!"

What does this mean on a day-to-day basis?

Social worker contact

"Every foster carer is allocated a social worker who is ultimately there to support and supervise them on a regular basis. They offer advice and support and are always there at the end of the phone if you have a problem. I have regular contact with my social worker and work with her on my personal development plan, which identifies any relevant training and support I need."

Daily reporting

"I am expected to keep a daily record on each child in placement. This covers all aspects of the child's life and development from daily activities to special events. It is a record for the child to look back on, and takes about 10 -15 minutes each day to complete. Full training about this is provided."

Professional meetings

"I am required to attend 'Looked After Children Reviews' which looks at the child's care plan and how each professional is going to help the child achieve in different areas of their lives.

This is reviewed regularly and ensures each child is given every opportunity to reach their potential. Each child in care also has a Personal Education Plan. As a foster carer I meet regularly with professionals from the child's school to discuss their progress and help them achieve their individual targets."

Family time

"Most children in care will retain some degree of contact with their biological parent(s) or other members of their birth family and as a foster carer I must help to facilitate this. This can be daily, weekly or quarterly. It is usually on a weekday and if the children are of school age this is arranged after school.

This can be at a Contact centre or out in the community and is fully supported by Gateshead's Contact team or child's social worker."

Training and support sessions

"There are a range of courses available which you are very much encouraged to attend and supported to do so.

They are flexible and accommodate different learning styles. I have also attended a range of courses and support sessions that the fostering team offer which are a great opportunity to meet like minded people, share experiences and get advice."

Fostering through Gateshead Council now provides a weekly income which enables people to become self employed and to work from home.

Fostering for Gateshead Council is very much skills based work. Carers are able to utilise existing qualifications and transferable skills. There are four levels of payments which carers are able to move up or down depending on skills and commitments. Levels three and four demand a more specific skills base to be able to deal with more complex and challenging children.

Payment for skills was devised to meet the multiple needs of children in care in Gateshead. It recognises the need for a skilled workforce of foster carers and the fact that carers should be rewarded for the very important work they do.

The level of fee a carer receives will vary according to the level of skill, knowledge and experience that the carer has and is prepared to utilise in relation to the type of placement they offer.

Foster carers receive two types of payments:

Child allowance

Carers receive a fostering allowance each week for each child cared for:

Fostering fee

Carers receive payment for skills from £100 to £440 per week per child depending on skills, knowledge and experience and the type of placement offered.

Career progression

Payment for Skills presents to foster carers the prospect of a career pathway by progressing through the differing levels; however, there is no compulsion or expectation that a carer will do so. All carers' home situations are different and it is important that the right type of fostering is appropriate to individual familial circumstances.

Carers can enter Payment For Skills at any level provided they can demonstrate they meet relevant criteria and are prepared to undertake the relevant training elements. In addition to this carers must agree to utilise their skills by caring for children with the relevant level of need.

Foster carers are a vital part of the Council's resources for children and young people and we are committed to supporting our foster carers as much as possible and offer a range of support networks in order that carers receive the help they need to foster with confidence.

Every foster carer is allocated a link social worker who will support and supervise them on a regular basis.

Foster carers also receive support from the child's social worker and from other carers, either through carer support groups or from an informal network of carers.

During the evenings, weekends and holidays there is an Emergency Duty Team worker to provide advice and support if required.

We also have a team of specialist staff to help children who need one to one therapeutic support as well as a psychologist who can give advice to foster carers as well as children and young people.

Gateshead also has a team of people to help foster carers and children when the child is experiencing difficulties at school.

Benefits for Gateshead council employees

As the corporate parent to looked after children in Gateshead, we will support employees who apply to become foster carer with us. In addition to the outlined support package, current Gateshead Council Employees will also receive the following paid time off:

• three days to attend pre-approval training
• two days, per year, to attend mandatory and core training
• one day, following placement with new child or children, to help settle a child into their new home
• up to five days per year to deal with an emergency with the child, for example taking them to Accident and Emergency (leave is prorate for part time employees)

Training

Caring for children can be a demanding role, and regular, high quality training is available to support carers and their partners and/or family.

Some training is mandatory and is required as part of payments for skills. Each carer has their own Personal Development Plan which is reviewed during the supervisory process by their Social Worker.

All new foster carers are required to complete their Training, Support & Development (TSD) Standards for Foster Carers portfolio. These Standards are a national benchmark and give foster carers the recognition they deserve for the role they play.

For those carers who choose to care for children who require a higher level of skill there will be an expectation of higher levels of training to meet the very varied and ongoing demands and challenges of the children they care for.

Courses are available on evenings, weekends or online. Courses are provided throughout the year and cover the full spectrum of children and young people and the needs that they have.

There is basic training around health, safety and wellbeing. Courses are available to support educational potential, and on a range of specialist subjects such as autism, communicating with children with disabilities, recognising dyslexia and bereavement. Specific training is also offered around self employment providing support with finance and tax returns.

What our foster carers say

"Fostering is the most challenging and yet the most rewarding thing we have ever done. To make even the smallest difference to the life of a child is the most amazing feeling. Total job satisfaction."

This section explains what happens next, once you've decided to foster a child. Applying to become a foster carer takes approximately six months.

Sometimes the process can seem daunting and includes preparation training, medicals, references and home study.

The assessment is thorough to ensure that we recruit carers who can meet the needs of the children in our care.

Step one

Contact us to discuss your interest in fostering.

Step two

A social worker will visit you at home to discuss the training and assessment process and whether fostering is right for you. After gathering more information we will make a decision about whether we feel fostering is right for you.

Step three

You will be invited to attend the preparation training course. This will help you to understand more about the needs of young people who need to be fostered. We will also need, by law, to carry out police and other reference checks including medicals, health and education.

Step four

Your assessment, also known as home study, will begin. This allows us to learn more about you and your family and the qualities and experience that you have that will help you become a foster carer.

Step five

Together with your social worker you will compile the assessment report and will be asked to give us your opinion about the accuracy of the report. Your social worker will, in consultation with yourself, state the number, age and gender of children you would like to foster.

Step six

Your completed assessment will be discussed at the Fostering Panel. The panel is made up of people who have a personal or professional connection with fostering, such as foster carers, teachers and social workers.

If you wish, you will be able to attend the fostering panel although it will not count against you if you do not. The panel will make a recommendation about whether you should be approved as a foster

carer. This is then considered and a decision is made by the head of Children's Services in Gateshead, who is the agency decision maker. You will be sent written confirmation of this decision.

Step seven

If you are approved as a foster carer, you are linked with a social worker who will discuss with you children who need to be fostered. If you are not approved as a foster carer your social worker will explain the reasons for this and how you can appeal about this decision.

Step eight

After you are approved as a foster carer a meeting will be held every year. The meeting is called a `Foster Carer Review' and considers your continuing approval as a foster carer, for example whether your approval status should be amended.

You may wish to alter the age group of children you foster, or the number of children you care for.