Why do children need fostering?

The main aim of the Kent County Council Fostering Service is to provide stable and first-rate foster care for children of all ages. The Fostering Service aims to supply a Service where children are valued, supported and encouraged to grow and develop as individuals.

Why do the children need foster care and where have they come from?
The children come from a variety of backgrounds and with a variety of experiences.   They may have been in need of safeguarding having been abused physically, sexually or emotionally or having lived in a family that was unable to meet even their basic needs.

Sometimes families, usually with teenage children, find they can no longer parent them and ask for the Local Authority to step in and provide them with a family.  Social workers work closely with these families to try and achieve change, repair relationships and where possible to return the child home.  Other children require regular respite care.

Children may become Looked After under voluntarily arrangements or a court order.  Generally they are local Kent children.  Occasionally they are from further a field, such as unaccompanied minors.

What is Foster care?
Fostering is a hugely rewarding occupation; it is quite unlike anything else you will ever have done!  Not only is it caring for other peoples children, it is caring for other peoples children who have not had the best start in life and are now in the care system.  They need you to provide them with positive experiences of family life to help to compensate for the early deprivation they are likely to have suffered.

You will not be doing this alone; you will be part of a team of professionals around the child including Social Workers, Teachers, health workers, mental health workers, health visitors, police, criminal justice professionals  - the list is as long as your foster child needs it to be.

If you are a parent you will be looking after other peoples children alongside your own, meeting all the children’s individual day-to-day needs, and giving them care and attention that will help them grow and learn.

As a Foster carer you work closely with parents and other professionals, to an agreed plan. This will include helping children come to terms with their experiences, preparing them to return to their birth family when possible or move to an alternative permanent home when not.  It is more than parenting, and carers need to make a commitment to provide a child, or children, with a consistent and reliable home for as long as they need and the care plan requires. 

All of this takes place in your own home, which of course gives great advantages, but also places unique demands on the foster family in terms of balancing the professional requirements and providing the family experience we seek for children who are fostered.

Who can be a Foster Carer?
We welcome applications from people from a variety of backgrounds, household compositions, with or without children.

We provide different types of fostering to meet the varied needs of our children, suitable for carers from a wide variety of backgrounds, cultures and experiences, whether couples or single, and with or without children at home

You will also:

• have a real interest in helping local children and their families;
• bring experience and realism about children;
• be open-minded, enthusiastic, patient and flexible;
• have a sense of humour
• have a fun-loving, positive approach to life.

We accept applications from those who can foster fulltime and from those who wish to offer respite care

The process of assessing foster carer applicants is rigorous, including Criminal Records Checks, medicals and references. There may seem like a lot of checks and safeguards but we would be placing some of the most vulnerable children in society in your homes and you would not expect us to cut any corners when checking out the background and suitability of our prospective foster carers before we do that.

How is Fostering different to Adoption?
Fostered children need the highest standard of care until they can return to their own family, move onto an alternative permanent family or grow in to adulthood and independence.

Adoption provides a new family for children who can no longer live with their own family. An adoption order transfers the child’s legal relationship from their birth family to the new adoptive family.  Adoption is the best option for a minority of children.
 
Is there a Smoking policy?
Yes, we do have a smoking policy. Because of the known health risks associated with secondary smoking Kent County Council’s aim is to provide a smoke free care environment for Looked After children.   We will not place children under the age of 5 in a smoking household. 

Do I need a Spare Room?
Yes, a spare bedroom for a foster child is required, as they must have a room of their own or share with an appropriate birth sibling.  

We do consider applicants who can at present only offer to care for a baby who would sleep in the carers own room and applicants who are interested in offering day care.

I have children of my own, how old do they need to be? 
Of course if you are already caring for children you will want to ensure that becoming a foster carer will not negatively affect their welfare. Kent County Council is committed to considering and supporting the welfare of applicants' children in relation to fostering placements that are made.  This will be kept in mind and discussed with you throughout the fostering application process.

Can I work and foster? 
It is possible to be a Respite or Short Breaks Carer and continue to work.
However should you wish to foster full time at least one carer must be available at all times to meet the needs of children in your care.
 
Can I have pets?
We recognise the value of pets in a family, however our first and paramount consideration is to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child throughout his or her placement.   Kent County Council has a policy that foster carers can have a maximum of two dogs as household pets. This is because of the likelihood for a pack instinct to develop and that more than 2 dogs require a great deal of attention and time when looked after appropriately.
 
A full assessment will be carried out on all pets in the home.
Kent County Council will not register or approve a home for Foster care where there is a dog living who is listed under the Dangerous Dogs Act (1991), or where there is a pet which comes under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act licensed list, (where there is any doubt guidance should be sought from the RSPCA).

How long will it take to become a Foster Carer?
This can vary due to a number of circumstances specific to your application, however we anticipate the process from application to approval should be no longer than 8 months.

What training and support will I receive?
As a foster carer, you will receive ongoing training, support and development opportunities to help you in your role.  Training includes: induction, mentoring, further development and qualification based training to support you in your role. In addition to training, we provide ongoing support in a variety of ways. 

What happens if I move house or am thinking of moving house?
If you are planning on moving home to a new area, we normally ask that you wait until you are settled in your property for 6 months to enable you to establish yourself in the community before contacting us about becoming a foster carer.

Do please contact us to discuss this in more detail by telephone on 0845 330 2968 or by completing our online enquiry form.

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