"providing children with a structured living environment in the homes of skilled, trained and well-supported foster carers"
How do I become a foster carer?
If you are interested in becoming a foster carer please call 01325 366365 to arrange an initial visit.
Initial Visit
A qualified and experienced social worker will visit you to explain the process. You will be asked for some information about you and your family’s background. The visit will also let you find out more about becoming a foster carer.
Assessment
If everyone agrees to continue, the social worker will arrange a series of visits to carry out an assessment. This assessment will include detailed information about your life history, your relationship with your partner (if this is applicable), your views of child development, separation and loss, the effects of sexual, physical and emotional abuse on children and the ability to parent children.
Information given to the social worker will be confidential and your assessment file will be kept securely at the Young Foundations office. The assessment process is not designed to be an obstacle but to provide detailed information that will help match children most suited to your situation.
A number of checks, including Criminal Records Bureau and personal references are carried out.
At the end of the assessment process you will be given a copy of the report prepared by the social worker to read and correct if necessary.
Fostering panel
The report is then submitted to the Young Foundations panel for consideration. Applicants are invited to attend the panel meeting and we try to make this as relaxed as possible. Carers are usually informed of the outcome on the day of the panel meeting. The final decision on approval lies with Young Foundations following the recommendation of the panel.
Annual Approval
The law requires that the approval for foster carers be reviewed every year. Young Foundations asks children and young people who have been placed with you, their social workers and other people involved in the placement to comment on how things have been for the last 12 months.
We will also ask you to write a short report on how you feel about the placement has gone and ask if there are any things you have not been happy about. This report is then submitted to our panel and carers are encouraged to come along to the review meeting, which will decide on renewing approval.