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Have you got the right skills to foster?

A nurse, teacher, therapist, fire fighter, care worker, child-minder, social worker, police officer… What do they have in common? They are all foster carers with FosterCare UK.

Transitioning from one career path to another is never straightforward. Except perhaps when the job you currently do uses many of the same skills, just in a different way.

Right match

Professionals already working with children & young people and in public and emergency service roles often have the resilience and training to become successful carers.

Strength, confidence, patience, tenacity, empathy and the ability to understand and work with increased emotions and sometimes confrontation.

These are just some of the qualities independent fostering provider FosterCare UK looks for when recruiting additional foster carers to its already successful team.

Finding and matching people with the right experience and skills to meet the specific needs of the children and young people they place is absolutely paramount.

“We believe in high quality family placements based on careful matching between foster carers and young people,” said Managing Director Jonathan Toomey.

“The children in our care have wide-ranging needs, from a young person on remand to a young parent with a child, and teenagers with challenging behaviours and complex pasts who need intensive support and guidance to better understand and move forward.

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“We are receiving several hundred referrals a month for foster families, particularly in the Ealing area, able to support those children and young people through the most vulnerable and uncertain periods of their lives”.

Positive outcomes

FosterCare UK’s detailed matching processes and high aspirations ensure all children and young people have the real potential to thrive and progress: 76% are in long term or permanent placements with many returning home or being successfully placed for adoption.

It’s strong commitment to training and support has set new standards in professional development for foster carers, putting the child first and supporting families to achieve positive outcomes.

FosterCare UK carers come from all walks of life but all share the same commitment to children and young people. Toomey adds, “We have seen our carers make massive changes not only to the lives of children they care for but also their own.”

The agency has just achieved ISO: 9001 and ISO: 14001 accreditations plus all seven LILAC standards for the way it consults with and involves young people in and leaving care.

Being awarded Investors in People GOLD further highlights the agency’s drive to deliver unrivalled care, support and training packages and develop fostering as a professional career.

“Foster carers confirmed that continuous learning is at the heart of the agency’s culture…They discussed how specialist training is building their capability and provided specific examples of how it has enabled them to better support the young people in their care.” (Investors in People 2013)

More carers = more choices

With an increasing number of children coming into the care system, what is clear is that FosterCare UK needs more experienced and aspirational applicants with key transferrable skills.

“We operate a responsible recruitment policy, being clear about the children and young people we are placing, how their needs must be met and the qualities you need to foster successfully with us,” Toomey concludes.

“A number of our carers worked in health, education, criminal justice and children’s services before becoming foster carers. We want to find more of those exceptional people able to provide intensive support and guidance for children and young people to ensure they make a successful transition into adulthood.”

If you're interested in fostering or transferring from your current fostering agency, call 0844 800 1941 or email fostering@fostercareuk.co.uk.

Visit our website to apply online www.fostercareuk.co.uk, and join our Facebook community at FosterCare-UK.

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