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Q. Who can apply to be a foster parent? Do you already have to have
a family and a big house? I am single, live in a good-sized two
bedroom flat and have a decent job. Would I be considered?
Jenny,
St. Albans
A.
All sorts of people apply to be foster carers and people of all
ages, races, religions and cultures are foster carers in Hertfordshire.
Foster
carers can be single, married or living together, in a partnership,
with or without children of their own, in their twenties, or in
retirement. Foster carers can be disabled, working or at home. The
important thing is what they can offer.
Obviously,
we have to safeguard the children in our care, so it is not possible
for people who have committed offences against children or some
other serious offences to become foster carers.
All
applicants have an enhanced CRB check (police checks) Applicants
also have medical checks.
So
the answer to your question is yes! You certainly would be considered.
Q.
What sort of training and support do foster carers get? It is something
that I would love to do but I don't think that I could go in 'cold'.
Peter, Hertford
A.
All people who apply to become foster carers in Hertfordshire attend
a training course, called 'Skills to Foster'.
This
is a nationally recognised course which consists of six or seven
sessions, held in the evenings or at weekends. It covers all the
basics
that potential carers need to know, including working with children
and young people, working with the child's family, working as part
of a team
with social workers and other professionals, and how fostering will
affect your family.
Carers
then undertake an assessment before becoming approved as foster
carers. All foster carers have supervising social workers who support
them. Local fostering teams offer foster carers lots of support.
There
are also support groups, a local foster care association, and membership
of the national foster carers association, called Fostering
Network. We offer lots of ongoing training for carers, including
first aid training, managing difficult behaviour, and an NVQ in
Childcare.
We
are very committed to giving carers all the training and support
they need. So don't worry, you won't be going in 'cold', we are
there to
support you.
Q.
I am considering applying to be a foster parent. I already have
two children of my own in their early teens and am slightly concerned
about the effect on them. Is there any counselling available for
natural children or somebody to explain what is happening? What
about support groups for them?
Kerry, Luton
A.
We consider foster carers' children to be very much part of the
team. At all stages of your training and assessment, we will include
your
children in the process, by talking with them and offering them
training and the opportunity to talk with other children and young
people whose families already foster.
Once
you become a foster carer we continue to support all the members
of your family. Your supervising social worker is there to support
you and your children and yes, we do have support groups for carers'
children in most parts of Hertfordshire.
Q.
Do foster carers have contact with the child's natural family? What
happens if the original family try to cause problems?
David, Watford
A.
Most children placed with foster carers do have contact with their
natural families. In fact in most cases children will return to
their natural families. So often foster carers do have contact with
the parents, brothers and sisters, and even grandparents of the
children placed with them.
Contact
does not happen in a haphazard way. The children's contact with
their family will be planned and arranged at times convenient to
everybody. It may be held in the foster carer's home if that is
acceptable to everyone, but more often it is held elsewhere in contact
centres, or possibly at the parent's or grandparent's home.
It
is a common anxiety amongst new foster carers that natural families
may try to cause trouble, but this doesn't happen very often. If
foster carers do experience any problems they have the support and
backup of the fostering team and the child's social worker to help
them.
Q.
What sort of financial support do foster carers get?
Nicky, Luton
A.
In Hertfordshire we pay foster carers an allowance, to cover the
costs of the child's needs such as food, clothing and pocket money,
in addition to a fee paid to the foster carer.
For
example, a new foster carers looking after a child under 4 years
old, would receive a total of £156-52 per week, whilst a more
experienced
carer would receive £185-99.
Our
fees increase depending on the skill and experience of the carer
and the allowance is age related, so a new foster carer looking
after a young person aged 16+ would receive £277.34 and a
more skilled and experienced carer would receive £306-81.
We
also pay extra allowances to cover birthdays, Christmas or festival
expenses, annual holidays, new school uniforms or expensive activities.
The
really good news for foster carers is the new tax regulations introduced
from April 03. This means that most foster carers won't have to
pay tax on their fostering income.
Q.
What happens when a foster carer is on housing benefit and the council
insists that the children's accommodation must be paid for out of
their allowance? I am a foster carer who has experienced this problem
and am paying for the rooms to accommodate teenagers myself.
D Watt
A.
I'm afraid that I do not have direct experience of this problem,
and it is always difficult to comment on individual cases without
all of the
facts.
In
our experience most people's benefits are not generally affected
by fostering. In Hertfordshire our Money Advice Unit is extremely
helpful in
ensuring that we give correct and full advice to foster carers who
have queries about benefits. The unit can act as advocates for those
who need it.
The
Fostering Network is able also to give expert advice on such matters.
How to find out more about fostering
Fostering
procedures are similar across the country but there may be some
local variations. For further details, contact your local authority
direct:
Call
the Fostering Network on 020 7620 6400 or visit
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