Why do we do what we do?
In one hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove, but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.
Forest E Witcraft
We have chosen this quote as our mission statement because we felt that it summed up what Eastern Fostering Services is trying to achieve across the range of its services. It underlines the philosophy that we keenly adhere to, of the paramount importance of “good adults” being able to influence better futures for children, particularly children who have lived in less than ideal circumstances.
I love working with the foster families and staff; we have a wonderful family who are all dedicated to making a difference to a child’s life.
Sarah, Carer Support Manager
Ask any of the team at Eastern Fostering Services team why they do what they do and they will tell you, “The children.”
What I love about my job is the fact that I never cease to be amazed and humbled by the children, staff and carers in our team-they are such an awesome bunch.
Eleanor, Agency Director
Our children and the amazing carers who look after them are at the heart of everything we do at Eastern Fostering Services. We believe that that together we can make a positive difference in the lives of children and this is what we strive to do.
What do I like about working for EFS? The fact that we are all united in our affection for the children and our carers. They are the heart of the organisation and we all know it.
Lucy, Placements and Recruitment Manager
Positive change in the lives of the children we look after is the motivating force behind the support we offer carers, the fun events that we hold for our families, the training we offer, the information events we hold and our reinvestment of funds into the service we offer carers.
You can read about how we support our children and carers here.
Our Aims and Objectives
Our aim is to provide quality services to children and families that are responsive, local, affordable, and above all, valued by the people who use them.
Within that, our objectives with specific regard to our fostering service are:
- To establish a diverse range of local fostering families who can enable children to stay in touch with the people and places that are important to them and meet children’s individual needs.
- To work positively and collaboratively with all professional networks involved in children’s care planning.
- To develop a staff team that is sensitive, professional and positive.
- To recruit carers who will provide a safe and nurturing environment for the children they care for.
- To provide an environment for children that promotes their health and educational needs and gives them the best life chances possible.
- To value and support foster carers to enable them to provide comprehensive care and to look after their own emotional well-being.
- To work to the requirements of the National Fostering Minimum Standards and Fostering Services Regulations 2011 and in accordance with all other relevant statute, guidance and regulation.
- To recruit sufficient carers to offer as many family matches as possible for the numbers of children needing a placement.
- To strive to offer a choice of placement, where possible.
- Through effective placement matching and support minimise the number of placements experienced by individual children.
- To build a non-hierarchical structure which keeps fixed costs to a minimum whilst still delivering a swift quality response to service requests.
- To develop a working environment that addresses the learning and developmental needs of all those connected with it.
Running through all of our working practices is the aim to appreciate difference, challenge discrimination and set the scene for an equality based service.
Services we provide
Task-centred Fostering
These placements are usually planned periods of care, although we recognise that family circumstances can be subject to change! We can support carers to look after children in emergency situations as well as working with plans to re-unify them with their families or work towards permanency.
Permanent Fostering
When children cannot return home and when adoption is not the right option, we can support families who want to make a long-term commitment to children until adulthood and beyond. We also have experience in supporting foster carers to prepare children for adoption.
Parent and Child Placements
We can offer both supportive and assessment based placements for young parents and their children, which provide a real opportunity for positive parental role-modelling to take effect in a “normalised” setting.
Fostering Refugee Children
Eastern Fostering Services has developed considerable insight into the needs of children who have come without their families into the UK as a result of war or conflict in their home countries. We have established a group of experienced foster carers who can support others and share their knowledge, not only of children’s different cultural and religious needs, but also of the legal processes that are involved.
“Staying Put” Fostering
We recognise that some young people need the continuing support of a family environment beyond the point where they reach legal adulthood and we will work with placing authorities to provide this continuum of care within our fostering families.
Eastern Fostering Services has a flexible approach to its provision and will work with authorities to achieve the best outcomes through whatever intervention is deemed most appropriate in order to meet childrens’ needs..
Welcome to Eastern Fostering Services!
Take a look at some of our short films to get a flavour of who we are and what is important to us. You can also check out our YouTube channel to view more.
