Fostering - Your questions answered

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."