Are you ready to become a Foster Carer?
Your Career in Fostering
Many of our Foster Carers tell us that fostering is a ‘calling’ and they all have an underlying desire to make a difference in the lives of young people.
Working with young people can be testing and as well as a passion to make a difference Foster Carers need resilience, determination and most definitely a sense of humour!
Whilst much of the role of the Foster Carer involves parenting the young person you’ll also be expected to work with a team of other professionals including social workers, support workers and sometimes counsellors and therapists. You’ll need to be available to attend meetings and also write reports on the behaviours expressed and milestones being reached by your young person.
You don’t need to have had previous experience of working with young people or being a parent yourself to become a Foster Carer. Our current Foster Carers come from a range of previous careers, including taxi drivers, prison officers and office administrators.
How Much do Foster Carers Get Paid?
As a Foster Carer you will get paid a ‘fostering allowance’. The fostering allowance covers the professional fee to you as a Foster Carer and also covers the cost of caring for the young people, for example buying clothes, treats and school trips.
Fostering with Blue Sky means you’ll receive a generous weekly allowance, per young person. This is dependent on your experience as a Foster Carer and the type of placement you are looking after.
There is both tax exemption and tax relief available for the fostering allowance, more details of which can be found at on the government website, click here.
Training
Working with young people in foster care means you become a member of a wider team working towards the health, happiness and stability of the young person.
We acknowledge this is a demanding role and provide you with an ongoing training and support program individually based on your knowledge and requirements as well as the challenges your young person may face. Examples of some training you will be expected to undertake includes:
Skills To Foster: A comprehensive training programme covering the essentials of becoming a Foster Carer, including survival techniques, helping young people deal with change, first aid and safe caring.
Understanding Attachments: This two day course rooted in psychological theory helps you to understand why some young people may present more challenging behaviours or find it harder to fit within a conventional family environment. It gives practical guidance on how to reach these misunderstood young people and the chance to share tips with other Foster Carers.
Ready to make a difference?
If you’re ready to find out more then fill in the enquiry form below and one of our team will be in touch to answer any questions you may have.
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Benefits of Fostering with Blue Sky
In addition to the training and fostering allowance, fostering with Blue Sky offers unrivalled support with:
- 14 days paid holiday (respite) per year, so you can have a rest from fostering.
- Phone calls and visits from your own social worker as regularly as needed
- Fortnightly supervision with your social worker – giving you special time to think about your role without interruptions
- Monthly support meetings with a small group of like-minded Foster Carers and your social worker
- Out of Hours service – access to a social worker who knows about you and your placement, 24 hours a day, every day of the year
- Family outings and social events for all foster carers, all young people in the family and staff, to make sure we stay one family
- Support from Social Work Assistants when the going gets tough!
- Activities and groups for your Birth children to ensure they have an opportunity to talk to others in the same situation
Fostering with Blue Sky offers the opportunity to be valued and recognised for the contribution you make to supporting young people and to foster for a small, local, friendly and professional agency dedicated to working alongside you.