Foster carers everywhere we salute you. Every day you go above and beyond to provide a safe and nurturing home environment for a child or young person in need. We know first-hand how rewarding and challenging a career in foster care can be. We also know how much a great support system; ongoing training and the right team can help you to develop and grow in this incredibly important role. We think Safehouses Fostering could be your perfect team. If you’re an existing foster carer with another organisation, here are five reasons we think you should consider transferring to Safehouses Fostering.
Ongoing support
Even the most seasoned foster carers need a solid support system and at Safehouses Fostering we pride ourselves on the level of ongoing support and practical guidance we give all of our foster carers. Upon application, each foster carer is appointed a social worker who will help and guide you throughout the application / transfer process. Once approved, similarly you’ll meet with your dedicated supporting social worker who will be your go-to for any advice and to help signpost or facilitate any further resources needed i.e. training or specialist professional advice from our Clinical or Education staff. Help doesn’t stop after hours either. Day or night we’re available to you to offer round-the-clock support.
Regular training
We don’t believe in just training foster carers upon approval, we strongly support and encourage ongoing personal development throughout your fostering journey. All of our foster carers are offered an extensive variety of training options from specialist behavioural training to courses for those fostering a disabled child. Your supporting social worker will facilitate the correct training path in line with your current or planned placements. There’s always an opportunity with Safehouses Fostering to bolster your knowledge and skillset and we’ll actively help you to do just that.
We’re part of a Social Enterprise
As part of a social enterprise (Five Rivers Child Care), we’re committed to bettering our services for both the children and young people in our care and our network of foster carers. All of our surplus profits are reinvested back in to the organisation and the community. Our social purpose is to turn children’s lives around, that means we focus on being 100% child-centred in all that we do. This is reflected in every element of the organisation, from the people we employ, the foster carers we approve and the services we provide.
Quality of care
We believe in a therapeutic and holistic led approach to foster care. We work with you, train you and support you to help understand the specific needs of any child in your care. We’ll help devise a care plan, if needed, and support you in delivering any additional care required.
Respite
Just like any job, foster care can have its challenging moments. And we know that to be the best foster carer you can be, you need a break every now and then. That’s why we provide all foster carers with fourteen days paid leave and we’re really flexible with this. So, if a situation arises where you need to take additional leave, we’ll do all we can to make this happen. We have a team of excellent respite carers on hand to ensure that when you need to take a break, you can.
We’re always on the lookout for experienced foster carers. Transferring is easy, there is an assessment process but compared to your initial fostering assessment it is much shorter. To find out more about transferring to Safehouses Fostering, visit here or get in touch with out foster carer recruitment team.