Foster Carer

Job introduction

Are you looking for a career change? Are you looking for a role where you can make a difference?

We are looking for people who can change and inspire the futures of children and young people who need safe, stable homes where they can live while their own family is unable to look after them.

About the role

Fostering can be short term or long term, ranging from a few days, weeks, months or even years. Children may need foster care from the moment they are born, and some children stay in care up to the age of 18 and beyond. Some children may return to their birth families, others may be supported through continued fostering until they are ready to live independently, and some may move onto adoption.

Foster carers are needed for;

• Children under 5
• School aged children
• Teenagers
• Siblings
• Young refugees
• New parents and their child

To ensure that a child's racial, linguistic, cultural and religious needs are met, it is vital that equality, diversity and inclusion are central to our fostering community. Class, gender, race, sex, age, faith, ethnicity, sexual orientation and disability should not prevent you from getting in touch and will never prevent your application from progressing.

We are proud of our unique fostering community, which includes children and foster carers from a wide range of backgrounds. We are keen to recruit foster carers from all walks of life.

Qualifications and Experience

The only essential requirements are that you must have a spare room, overnight childcare experience and live within 25 miles of Brighton & Hove.

No prior experience is necessary. The only essential requirements are that you must have a spare room and overnight childcare experience. If you are or have been a parent then you will have enough experience. If you do not have children of your own, you will need to demonstrate that you understand how it feels to be fully responsible for caring for a child overnight and on a regular basis.

You do not need any formal qualifications as we offer a comprehensive training programme, including a three-day ‘Skills to Foster’ course. This training, and other mandatory training will take place as part of your assessment, and once you are approved there will be ongoing opportunities to widen your skill set through additional training.

Ultimately, you will need to have enough time in your life and space in your home to care for a child or young person. As a carer you will need sensitivity and flexibility, as well as an ability to empathise with children who may be troubled or display difficult behaviour.

Support and Training

We recognise fostering as a career choice and want our carers to have the skills and expertise to confidently provide a nurturing, secure home environment. We provide an extensive training programme as well as Personal Development Plans to identify ongoing training needs. Fostering can be challenging, and training provides the opportunity to network with others, share experiences and gain support.

We don’t expect any of our foster carers to walk alone and offer the following wrap-around support.

• Supervising Social Workers

Every Brighton & Hove foster carer has their own Supervising Social Worker who will provide one to one advice and support. They will visit you regularly in person at your home, or online via video chat, and can be contacted by phone or email.

• Out of Hours Service

The out-of-hours service is run by members of the wider fostering team, so support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

• Fostering Support Team

The Fostering Support Team is a group of fun, friendly and highly skilled professionals who work directly with the children in our care. The team can improve the stability of a child’s placement and help young people to reach their potential.

The team provide after school, weekend and school holiday activities and events for both foster children and the birth children of foster carers. The activities are not only a treat for the children, who get an opportunity to form friendships with others in similar circumstances, but also a well-deserved break for foster carers.

• Brighton and Hove Foster Care Association (BHFCA)

The Brighton and Hove Foster Care Association (BHFCA) is an independent voluntary group run by foster carers for foster carers. If you are approved as a foster carer for Brighton & Hove, you automatically become a member of the association.

• Buddy Scheme

The Buddy Scheme is part of a multi layered approach to support new foster carers through their assessment, through panel and throughout the first six to twelve months of fostering. Our aim is to match new foster carers with experienced foster carers to ensure their first placements are a positive experience.

• Support Groups

We run several foster carer support groups, which are a great way for foster carers in similar circumstances to come together, support each other and learn from one another.

• Wellbeing Sessions

We are always developing new ways to support our foster carers; their wellbeing is just as important to us as the wellbeing of the children they care for. Sessions are themed according to different aspects of wellbeing such as calmness, grounding, gratitude, resilience, self-care, and focus, and they include practical applications such as pebble painting, jewellery making, countryside walks and mindfulness/relaxation techniques.

• Social Activities and Events

Throughout the year we host activities and events such as a summer barbeque and a Christmas party. We also run an annual conference to celebrate our foster carers and thank them for what they do.

Payments and Rewards

You will receive an excellent weekly payment for each child in your care.

The payment scheme is competitive alongside local independent fostering agencies and other local authorities, and it recognises the complex task of fostering.

The payment each Foster Carer receives consists of an allowance and a fee.

• Allowance

Foster carers receive a weekly fostering allowance which is designed to cover the cost of caring for a fostered child. This covers things such as food, clothes and toiletries. The allowance depends on the type of fostering you do, the age of the young person in your care, and the number of years you have been fostering.

• Fee

Fee payments are made on top of the allowance to recognise a foster carers’ time, skills and experience.

If you are brand new to fostering, you can expect to receive (in total), between £335 per week for a child under 4 and £421 per week for a young person aged 12-18.

For a parent and baby placement, you will receive the weekly total for a child under 4, plus the weekly total for a young person aged 12-18, plus an £89 enhancement (£845 per week in total).

As a foster carer you are also entitled to a range of benefits and discounts.

Next Steps

To arrange an informal conversation with a member of our team, please complete the enquire form and we will get in touch - Enquire Now | Brighton & Hove fostering team (fosteringinbrightonandhove.org.uk)

Additional information

Company information

Benefits:

• Company events
• Flexible schedule
• Flexitime
• Work from home

Application question(s):

• Do you have a spare room?

Experience:

• childcare: 1 year (preferred)