Team: Fostering Service

Salary: a minimum of £28,600 per annum.

The  aim of the Intensive Support Fostering Scheme is to provide intensive support to children in foster carer who experience complex emotional and behavioural difficulties. The scheme focuses on children aged 10 plus but can  be extended, where  necessary, to provide care for younger children who require intensive support. Children requiring an intensive support carer may have experienced trauma and have complex needs. They may experience:

• School non attendance
• A history of repeated placement breakdowns
• Physical or verbally aggressive behaviour
• Mental health difficulties
• Substance misuse
• Child sexual and/or criminal exploitation

As a result of these complex needs, young people need exceptional care from foster carers who can support them to navigate these difficulties and support them to have positive outcomes.

In order to progress to become an Intensive Support foster carer, potential carers must fulfil all the usual requirements needed to foster as well as the following criteria:

• There will be no other children of a similar age living in the household, either birth children or foster children.
• There needs to be one carer in the household who is available full time with no other employment.
• Demonstrable knowledge, experience, understanding and skills in working with or caring for children with complex needs. 
• The ability to understand how trauma can affect a child/young person (emotional, health and behaviour).
• A commitment to attend specialist support groups. The expectation will be for carers to attend at a minimum of 9 meetings during a 12 month period.
• A commitment to attend training to meet all identified training needs as well as a commitment to undertake specialist training in motivational interviewing, relationship based, solution focused, strengthening families or systemic therapy.
• An ability to embrace the challenges that children and young people bring, viewing difficult times as a critical moment that creates growth in their development.
• A commitment to stick with the child/young person and continue to work with them.

What we will offer you

• Supervision will be provided every 3 weeks by an allocated and dedicated experienced fostering social worker who will work closely with you to provide support, advice and guidance.
• Joint six weekly visits from the childs social worker and fostering social worker.
• Access to clinical advise/support/direct work and consultation provided by clinicians based within CAMH.
• Monthly clinical support group with other intensive support carers.
• An experienced foster carer peer mentor to offer encouragement and support.
• Support as required from other members of the professional team around the child i.e. clinical psychologist, social workers and teaching professionals.
• Out of hours telephone support from experienced staff from within the fostering service (includes evenings, weekends and Bank holidays).
• Membership of Fostering Network, a leading U.K. charity who work alongside and support all those involved in delivering fostering services.

Training

Carers on this scheme will attend a range of training and development opportunities as identified in their Personal Development Plan (PDP) in order to develop their professional knowledge and skills and therefore demonstrate a commitment to children placed with them the highest quality care possible.

Finance

Carers will be paid a fee of £550 per week. This fee will be paid fifty two weeks per year.

As well as the fee carers will receive Central Bedfordshire’s age related fostering allowance for the childs needs (to cover all the childs needs such as food and travel)  when any young person is in placement.

Any mileage in respect of appointments and contact will be reimbursed at the foster carer’s mileage rate.

Carers holiday/respite breaks

Carers will be entitled to up to 28 nights paid holiday without the child/young person in any twelve month period. 

Please note that all applicants will have to undertake the fostering assessment process, the first step of this will be to arrange an initial visit to your home. 

All applications made will be responded to and you will recieve contact from the fostering team within 10 days of your application.