How can you help?
We need:
- long-term foster carers
- short break carers
- black and Asian carers
We would welcome applications from people from a variety of different backgrounds to meet the wide-ranging needs of children and young people who need a safe home.
Foster Carers can be:
- single
- living with a partner
- married
- have their own children
- have step or adopted children
- have no children
- from all ethnic, religious, linguistic and cultural backgrounds
- employed
- self employed
- unemployed
- live within or near the East Midlands region
The Fostering task
Fostering is not like other work. It involves the whole family and takes place in the foster carer’s own home. It is very rewarding but can also be very demanding. Children, young people and their families can be very challenging and working in partnership with many different people can be difficult. All our foster carers are provided with training and 24-hour support to help them deal with situations as they arise. Here are some of the tasks that may be involved in fostering:
- Children and young people who are separated from their families will feel confused, anxious and distressed. Foster carers can comfort the child and reassure them that their family still cares for them.
- All children have a cultural background and heritage, which we acknowledge and respect. We try to match the carers to the culture and origins of each child or young person so you can help your foster children understand their heritage.
- Foster carers often work with children’s parents and help them and their child to maintain contact with each other, particularly if the plan is that the child cannot return home. Even if the child does not have contact with his or her own family, foster carers will try and help the child to understand the reasons for this.
- Some children and young people will have been abused or neglected. Foster carers have to ensure the safety of all children they are looking after. They also need to show and teach children how to keep themselves safe.
