5 steps to becoming a foster carer
Lucy Stevens - 28th August 2019
Step 1 - Register your interest Thinking of becoming a foster carer? How do you find out which fostering providers to approach? As with anything in life, when it comes to becoming a foster carer, you should do your research. As a foster carer, you will need excellent support so you should look for local fostering providers who offer quality, 24 hour support. Smaller agencies are often better placed to offer quality, tailored support. The Fostering Network have a tool on their website that allows you to search for local fostering providers. Moreover the internet is an excellent source of information. However, you need to know what you are looking for when deciding which fostering provider might best suit you
Tags: becoming a foster carer, becoming a foster family, becoming a fostering family, foster care, fostering, fostering agency, Fostering Cambridgeshire, fostering Essex, fostering in Peterborough, fostering near me, fostering service, fostering Suffolk
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Fostering trans young people
Lucy Stevens - 3rd June 2019
7 things trans young people need from their foster carers We know that children and young people in foster care are highly vulnerable and need their foster carers to support and advocate for them. We also know that trans young people are vulnerable to discrimination and oppression. So how should carers prepare for fostering trans young people? What should foster carers know about what it's like to be a trans young person? One could say that generally our society does not treat young people well. Teenagers are often treated with suspicion and criticism and a degree of contempt. For young people in foster care, these attitudes are largely exacerbated. When it comes to fostering trans young people, the challenges can
Tags: foster care, fostering, Fostering Cambridgeshire, fostering Essex, fostering Suffolk, fostering trans young people, how can I foster?, how do I become a foster carer, how to foster, LGBT fostering, trans, transgender
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Becoming a foster carer: 5 things you should know
Lucy Stevens - 28th May 2019
Becoming a foster carer will change your life. Here are 5 things you should know. Fostering is hard but rewarding Becoming a foster carer is one of the bravest steps you can take. It is a job that takes place in your home, 24/7. Fostering will require you to make changes to your life. Not only will you be fostering the most vulnerable children in society but you will be working within a difficult system too. It's hard work. BUT the rewards are beyond anything you could expect in any other job. If you're in two minds about fostering, simply ask yourself, "in what other job can I transform lives?" With the right support, from the right fostering agency, fostering
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Could you #changeafuture
Lucy Stevens - 7th May 2019
Good fostering can transform lives This May sees the start of Foster Care Fortnight, the UK’s biggest awareness raising campaign for foster care. In the UK, it is estimated that over 8000 additional fostering families are needed . “In the East of England alone, we need over 600 additional carers to allow us to provide well matched foster carers to the children who need them,” says Eleanor Vanner of Eastern Fostering Services, an agency who look after children across Essex, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. “Every 20 minutes in the UK another child comes into care needing a fostering family; it’s vital that we have a good pool of carers for these children.” Fostering offers children and young people the opportunity for
Tags: foster care, fostering, fostering agency, Fostering Cambridgeshire, fostering Essex, fostering in Essex, fostering in Peterborough, fostering in Suffolk, fostering information, fostering information events, fostering service, fostering Suffolk
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Foster carers needed in Essex, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire
Lucy Stevens - 19th March 2019
Local children need local foster carers In the UK, there are now more children than ever in need of foster carers. Children in Essex, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire are no exception. Our children need local foster carers who can keep them in education, in local communities and near to the people who are important to them. Which children need foster carers? There are children in every age group who are in need of a nurturing foster carer. From young sibling groups, teenagers, mother and babies, children with additional needs and unaccompanied children. The list goes on. By far the most typical children are sibling groups and young people between the ages of 10 to 16. What does it take to foster?
Tags: Cambridgeshire, Essex, Essex fostering, foster care, foster carer, fostering, fostering agency, fostering allowance, Fostering Cambridgeshire, fostering Essex, fostering in Essex, fostering in Suffolk, fostering money, fostering qualifications, fostering service, fostering Suffolk, local fostering, mother and baby fostering, Suffolk, Suffolk fostering
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What qualifications do you need to be a foster carer?
Lucy Stevens - 10th January 2019
The short answer to the question of what qualifications foster carers need is none! So what do we look for in foster carers? Whilst foster carers do not need formal qualifications, there are qualities that we look for. Foster carers need to be resilient. During the fostering assessment resilience is looked at and foster carers can cite their life experience to evidence this. Foster carers need to have emotional intelligence, empathy and kindness. Because many looked after children have specific emotional needs. But don't worry if you don't know a lot about the ins and outs of fostering. Foster carers undergo training as part of their assessment. Whilst it is helpful to have experience of children and child care, even this is
Tags: Essex, Essex fostering, foster care, foster carer, fostering assessment, Fostering Cambridgeshire, fostering in Essex, fostering in Suffolk, fostering qualifications, fostering training, looked after children, qualifications to foster, Suffolk, Suffolk fostering, training for foster carers
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The Fostering Assessment – why do we need to carry out checks?
Lucy Stevens - 26th July 2018
Eastern Fostering Services wants to recruit foster carers who can meet the individual needs of children; who can provide them with a safe and nurturing environment in which to grow. When they apply, all prospective foster carers undergo a fostering assessment which takes on average 4-6 months. Included in the fostering assessment · An initial home visit. · A medical report – carried out by the GP and paid for by EFS. · At least 3 personal references. · Identity checks including an enhanced DBS. · Previous partner references. · Health and Safety assessments. · 6-10 home visits and interviews including some with birth children and other household members. · A full Coram/BAAF form F assessment detailing the qualities, competences
Tags: applying to be a foster carer, Eastern Fostering Services, foster care, fostering, fostering agency, fostering application, fostering assessment, Fostering Cambridgeshire, fostering Essex, fostering Suffolk, skills to foster
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Do I get paid to be a foster carer?
Lucy Stevens - 18th July 2018
When it comes to fostering, money is an emotive and controversial topic of conversation. Nonetheless, in the interest of answering the questions we get about finances, it is a topic we’d like to address. Good foster carers are always motivated by a desire to make a positive difference in the lives of children. The best foster carers seek to nurture, love and advocate for the children in their care. In our experience, very few carers are ever motivated by financial gain and it is very important to us that they are not. However, one cannot escape the fact that it costs money to raise a child. It is for this reason that Local Authorities pay a fostering allowance to foster
Tags: do foster carers get paid?, foster care, fostering, fostering allowance, Fostering Cambridgeshire, fostering Essex, fostering money, fostering Suffolk, money for foster carers
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Do I get paid to be a foster carer?
Lucy Stevens - 17th July 2018
When it comes to fostering, money is an emotive and often controversial topic of conversation. Nonetheless, in the interest of answering the questions we get about finances, it is a topic we’d like to address. We’d like to start out by making it clear that good foster carers are always motivated by a deep desire to make a positive difference in the lives of children. The best foster carers seek to nurture, love and advocate for the children in their care. In our experience, very few carers are ever motivated by financial gain and it is very important to us that they are not. However, one cannot escape the fact that it costs money to raise a child and it
Tags: #ProudToSupportFostering, applying to be a foster carer, becoming a foster carer, Cambridgeshire, Eastern Fostering Services, Essex, foster, foster care, foster carer, fostering, fostering agency, fostering application, fostering assessment, Fostering Cambridgeshire, fostering Essex, fostering service, fostering Suffolk, how to foster, The Fostering Network
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Fostering and the spare room
Lucy Stevens - 29th June 2018
Do I need a spare room to foster? We've talked to many people interested in fostering in Essex, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. One of the most common questions is "Why do I need a spare room in order to foster?" The short answer is that it is a mandatory requirement to have a spare bedroom to dedicate to fostering when you apply to be a foster carer. Many people find this frustrating and we often get further questions asking us why this policy exists for foster carers. Would you move into a house and share a bedroom with a complete stranger? Moving in with a new foster family is a frightening and confusing time for children, no matter how young or
Tags: applying to be a foster carer, Cambridgeshire, Eastern Fostering Services, Essex, foster care, foster carer, fostering, Fostering Cambridgeshire, fostering Essex, fostering Suffolk, Spare room, Suffolk
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