I'm Natasha Freeman, Break's fostering service manager.
We understand that the decision to become a foster carer is a huge one, so we've put this guide together to help you find out more information about fostering with Break before registering your interest.
We are a small fostering agency looking to grow the number of foster carers and children working with us within Norfolk. The young people involved will have experienced significant trauma prior to their placement with Break, and may struggle to trust and form attachments with adults because of their previous experiences. Together with the fostering team your role as a foster carer will be to nuture and support them through this next phase of their lives as we work together to start the healing process. At Break we believe that no matter a child's start to their life there's no limit to what they can achieve. Your role as a foster carer is to be a part of that journey.
Fostering a young person is a very special role to take on. I can't promise all days will be good or easy, but I can promise that we will be there with you every step of the way and that the care you give has the potential to change lives.
Fostering with Break (at a glance)
- Therapeutic parenting principles are at the centre of our service.
- Foster placements for children aged up to eighteen, with children currently in the service aged between seven and seventeen.
- Long-term relationships with foster carers, with many young people still in contact after leaving care and one current staying put arrangement.
- All children and young people attend school or college.
- Three quarters of children access extra therapeutic support through Break's own therapists, counsellors or via third party services.
- Two young people are trained baristas on CoffeeBreak, a project run by Break designed to provide a safe work experience environment for those supported by the charity.
- Regular meet ups with the fostering team and other foster carers to help form relationships with peers.
- A group for any birth children of foster carers.
- Young people can access the wraparound support Break provides - digital detoxes, residential camps and other opportunities to help build a support network outside of their foster home, increase confidence and try something new whilst providing respite to carers and their families.
- When you have a child in your care you will earn in the region of £600 per week.
Therapeutic Parenting
if you become a foster carer with Break, you'll often hear the term 'therapeutic parenting.' All children and young people in Break's fostering services will have had a difficult and troubling start to their lives, and this often means that trusting and forming attachments with their care givers is really hard. This is why we think therapeutic parenting is so important.
Therapeutic parenting describes a style of care designed to support a child or young person in developing feelings of safety and connectedness. Rather than managing behaviour, therapeutic parenting sees behaviour as a form of communication.
The approach is based on neuroscience. Through being nurturing and empathic as well as providing consistent, firm and fair boundaries and predictable routines, the brain can begin to form new neural pathways. These new pathways allow children, in time, to rebuild their trust in adults.
It is critically important that care is centred on each child. Care isn't one size fits all, and should adapt to meet the child or young person wherever they are emotionally. Although we expect that you will take the time to learn more about therapeutic parenting and how to use it in your role, you won't be alone. We will work with you one-to-one to talk about different techniques and practices that might help the specific child or young person in your care.
Together we can develop a home environment where children and young people feel safe, have a place within a family and know it's okay to be who they need to be and make mistakes along the way.
If you have any questions about therapeutic parenting or are in need of more examples or guidance, we are always very happy to answer questions and explain it more in detail. You can also find more information via the National Association of Therapeutic Parents, which you can find links to in the 'useful links' section at the end of this document.
The Recruitment Process
We know that the recruitment process can feel quite daunting. Here we've outlined what to expect from the point of first contact through to a successful application.
It's important to know that becoming a foster carer will take a little while. Being a foster carer is a big commitment, and the recruitment process reflects this. The process is always a two-way conversation, designed so that you have the opportunity to ask questions and fully understand your future role as well as making sure that we do our job in protecting the children and young people coming into the fostering service.
What current Break foster carers said about the process:
At times it did feel exhausting, however even whilst feeling this it was clear and necessary that it was required. We met with our Social Worker almost weekly for six months to detail our responses to situations, our relationship, our parenting styles and other corners of our past. It is not an easy undertaking and neither is fostering, and looking back we believe its thoroughness gives a good grounding to understand our responses to the challenges of fostering.
It was thorough and challenging but it helped us really decide that this is what we wanted to do. It made us really think about what we would be taking on.
The whole process can take around eight months. Openness and honesty is vital as part of the process and in between each of the steps both parties will need to confirm they are happy to proceed.
Between reading this document and becoming a foster carer there are five stages to go through.
The whole process can take around eight months. Openness and honesty is vital as part of the process and in between each of the steps we'll both need to confirm we're happy to proceed:
1. Initial Contact
Once you've told us you're interested in becoming a foster carer we will arrange a time to talk over the phone to take some details, ask some questions about your current circumstances and explain more about Break's fostering service.
2. Home Visit
Either a Supervising Social Worker or the Fostering Team Manager will come out to your home to talk in more detail about the questions from your initial contact phone call.
3. Expression of Interest
After hearing more about the role of a foster carer at Break you'll be asked to fill out an expression of interest to formally get the recruitment process started.
4. Form F
A 'Form F' is the document that the fostering panel will read to help them decide whether to recommend you for foster caring. You'll be introduced to a Supervising Social Worker who will work closely with you to complete the Form F.
5. Fostering Panel and Approval
Break's Fostering Panel meets throughout the year. They make recommendations for new foster carers and also annually review current foster carers' approval. The Panel consists of a Chair, a Vice-Chair, Panel Advisor and members and they will all have a range of relevant backgrounds. We do encourage and support you to attend the Fostering Panel to discuss your application. Before the Panel, members will have read your Form F and during the Panel everyone, including you, will have an opportunity to ask questions.
After the Panel, the minutes are forwarded to Break's agency decision maker who will make a final decision on your suitability as a foster carer. We can provide you with more information about what happens before, at and after the Fostering Panel.
Your Recruitment Questions
What questions will I be asked?
During the process you should expect to be asked lots of questions about your personal life both past and present, and you should also bear in mind that the process is likely to challenge your ideas around your parenting style and other lifestyle choices.
Be prepared to talk about your family and origins, your personal relationships with family members and ex partners, the reasons why you are interested in fostering, your perception of the impact fostering might have on you and your close network, your physical and mental health, any previous involvement with social services for your birth children, and whether you have anything on a criminal record we should be aware of.
The questions sound really intrusive - why do you need to know all of this?
There are real and serious reasons why we need to ask these questions as part of the process. What it comes down to is our responsibility to ensure that any child placed in a foster carer's home is safe and protected. To do this thoroughly we must look at all the different individuals they are likely to come into contact with while they are in your care. The children who will potentially be coming into your home will have had extremely difficult starts to their lives already and we want to make this next stage of their life as positive and fulfilling as it can possibly be.
We understand that talking about previous relationships or your past can bring on anxieties for those hoping to become foster carers. These questions aren't designed to trip you up or find something in your past that means you cannot continue with your journey to become a foster carer. Often it can help to reflect and learn from what's happened previously to understand how you would react in that situation again if this time you also had a vulnerable young person in your care.
Who sets the recruitment process? Is there external guidance the process needs to follow?
Yes - we follow the requirements of the guidance set out by the Department of Education in 2013. You can find the documents here.
Do I get the chance to ask questions?
Absolutely. It is so important that you really understand what being a foster carer would be like, which is why the process allows you to really interrogate what impact it will have on you and your family and ultimately whether it is something you really want to do.
If you have questions about the assessment process then please reach out to one of the team who will be more than happy to give you more information.
Being a foster carer with Break is likely to be your full-time job. As well as day-in-day-out care responsibilities, there will be paperwork to complete and meetings to attend. To give you a little bit of an insight into foster caring, we asked two of our fostering families about their work with Break.
What is it like to be a foster carer?
Every day we look at T and marvel at the distance he has travelled on his way to becoming a young man - but when we're asked about our role as foster carers we always think it's important to have a real dose of honesty. It isn't a fairy tale or a walk in the park. Fostering children who have experienced significant trauma will challenge every part of your life - emotionally, physically, mentally and financially. It isn't just a commitment for you but also for your wider network and family members. Despite all of this, the changes, development and growth in confidence you see in your child makes it all worth it.
Answering 'what is it like to be a foster carer' is the toughest question of all. At times you despair with the limitations of schools, social services and the desire to get the best for your child. At other times, when a small, scared child places their trust and love with you - it's difficult to describe the feeling.
Why did you choose to foster with Break?
We looked at every fostering agency in the area but wanted to work with one which shared our values - Break was the only one for us. It is definitely not a 'for-profit' operation and everyone in it really cares about the children.
Initially we were interested in fostering unaccompanied asylum seekers as it is an area we feel really passionate about. During our conversations we got more and more involved and realised that we were prepared to provide a loving home to any child that needed it. Break was a respected charity that we knew about and we felt confident that we could work with them on our fostering journey.
What support you should expect as a Break foster carer
When you join Break as a foster carer you become part of the extended fostering team. You'll work with Break staff and other foster carers with similar experiences to increase your understanding of therapeutic parenting in order to create a safe environment in which the young person in your care can allow themselves to trust again.
We expect you to be enthusiastic in learning more about your role, and the high level of support and training available from the team will increase your emotional resilience, self-awareness and ability to reflect on your practice as a foster carer. Our aim is that you never feel alone in your role, you always know where to turn to for advice, and that your increased knowledge about children's early experiences, needs and behaviours will leave you empowered and confident in your ability to address issues if and when they arise.
Therapeutic services
Once you're part of the team you will be linked with a therapeutic practitioner who can provide you with one-to-one sessions. You will also be expected to attend monthly group sessions facilitated by a qualified therapist with other foster carers.
Training
Every foster carer has a personal development plan. You'll be given a full induction, inclusion in the quarterly service development group and access to specific training where required. We follow nationally recognised training programmes such as the Solihull Approach, which you can find more information about in the links and more reading page at the end of this document.
Support
You'll be allocated a supervising social worker who will provide monthly professional supervsisions as well as other support where required as well as an annual support meeting and review. You'll be able to access support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from an on-call social worker.
The fostering team also runs social events and days out to help build up relationships with Break support staff and other foster carers.
Other
Alongside the rest of our support you will also be provided with a Foster Carer handbook, insurance, a fostering allowance and the benefits that come from our membership with The Fostering Network, Fairer Fostering Partnership, Coram Baaf, NATP and Community Care.
The wider Break team
All children and young people within Break's services have access to the other projects run by our colleagues. They can: apply to have a volunteer mentor to provide them with additional support and encouragement, access opportunities to pave their way to employment such as our CoffeeBreak van, or form relationships with other young people in care at various events and activities.
Break also run a service called Staying Close, Staying Connected which supports young people leaving care as they take their first steps into independence with safe and secure housing and a support network via Break transition workers to make sure that they aren't alone. While the majority of the young people accessing this service come from residential care currently, it is being broadened to include young people who have been in foster placement and will be called "Fostering Futures."
You can find more information about the wider support we offer on our website.
Here's what two of our foster carers had to say about the support Break provides:
The support we have and our access to it is just what we need as foster carers. There is always someone available to help us if we need it, who understands us and knows the children we look after. Monthly meetings keep us in touch with the others in the operation - carers, social workers and managers - so we really do feel part of a close-knit team.
Break are there when we need it, as fostering brings many challenges and requires a huge amount of resilience, tolerance and love. Break provides individual supervision, professional therapists, development opportunities and ongoing peer support which are all invaluable. There is always someone there ready to listen, respond and support you through any difficult periods.
FAQs
Can I carry on working?
Foster caring is a full-time job, and in our experience we find that continuing to work alongside your role as a foster carer is difficult. Your role will involve being available for meetings and appointments during the day as well as attending review meetings, medical appointments and training for instance.
In a two person fostering household we would expect one of the partnership to be a full-time foster carer.
You will be paid for fostering, and as part of your decision to become a foster carer we would ask you to consider whether this role can work for you financially.
Do I get paid for fostering?
Yes, you will be remunerated for your fostering role. On average when you have a child in your care you will earn in the region of £600 per week plus some travelling expenses. If you need more information about how much you will be paid, please ask a member of the team who will be very happy to help.
How old do I need to be to foster?
Foster carers need to be 21 or older. There is no upper age limit - you just need to enough energy and enthusiasm to keep up with the young people in your care.
Does it matter if I'm single, married or in a relationship?
No relationship status disqualifies you from being a foster carer. No matter your relationship status, the impact on your friends and family will be part of the Form F assessment process to see the impact on your support network.
Can I foster if I already have children? Or if I don't have children?
Absolutely - we have worked with lots of foster carers who already have children. Some of those children are still living at home, whilst others decide to take on fostering once their own children have grown up. You can also foster if you have no children of your own.
Do I need a spare room?
Yes, the child in your care will need their own room.
Can I have pets and foster?
Yes. Any pets in the home will be looked at as part of your Form F assessment. You will need to consider how your pet responds to children.
What happens about holidays?
Normally, we would expect foster carers to take the child they are caring for with them on holiday.
All foster carers will have a support care plan which is led by the child they are caring for. In some instances this care plan may include overnight stays where the child would stay away from your home but this is very much dependent on their needs, with a preference on the whole for the child to be cared for within your own natural network. Break has part-time and support carers that offer support care where this is assessed as necessary for the child.
What happens once a child turns 18?
We always work with you and your child's Local Authority social worker to plan for your child post 18. If you would like your child to remain living with you post 18 then they can do so under a Staying Put arrangement. You will no longer be in a foster care role for this child but the LA will continue to fund you at a different rate for you to continue to offer your child a home.
Alternatively, if your child wishes to move on at 18 or you are not in a position to be able to offer Staying Put, Break have a service called Staying Close, Staying Connected for residential care leavers which is being expanded to include young people in fostering (Fostering Futures). The service supports them in their first steps towards fully independent living. We are able to offer them a home, and a Break Transition Worker to support them as they move out of care and into their own accommodation.
As the young person approaches the age of 18, we will work together with them and you to explore options for them to move on to. Each individual will be different and we will work together to find the best option for the young person.
Any young person in Break's services benefits from our lifelong offer. It's our promise that no matter how old they may be, we are always here for them to turn to.
If having read this guide you still feel ready to take your first step to fostering, then please get in touch to book in a phone call to find out more.
Contact us via our website to speak to a member of our fostering team.
Useful links and extra reading
- National Association of Therapeutic Parents
- Break's Fostering Panel Leaflet
- Fostering national minimum standards
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