Support for
children
At Fosterplus, we understand the impact each child and young person's early experiences can have on their long-term outcomes and overall well-being.
There are many reasons why a child may move into care, but 60% of them will have experienced abuse or neglect. Although we can't change the past or erase the trauma they may have from these experiences, we can help them now by providing loving homes and consistent support that will benefit them long-term.
We've been making a difference in the lives of children and young people for over 25 years and have thoughtfully curated our support for children in foster care so they have a platform to reach their full potential and follow their long-term hopes and dreams.
Support for foster children
Supportive and nurturing foster carers
The well-being and safety of the children in our care are at the centre of everything we do. They benefit from having long-lasting, secure and safe family environments where they are nurtured and valued for who they are. We go above and beyond to ensure every foster child and young person in our care receives this through the high-quality, extensive services we provide:
- Training - Foster parents are provided with the very best professional training, with a wide variety of topics and advanced skills training, to give them the tools and skills to meet the needs of children, whilst building the knowledge that underpins their fostering practice.
- Support - Our training and support for foster parents enables them to support every need of children and young people, from everyday care and development to advocating for their education; each child is well-supported.
- Matching - In order for children and young people to feel safe, secure and stable, they need to be matched with the right foster families. That's why we have an exceptional matching process and provide support to help your foster child or young person settle into their new home. Each child receives a welcome book and 'child-friendly profiles', giving them details about their foster parents in child-friendly language, as well as a tailored welcome pack with practical items and thoughtful gifts relating to their specific interests.
- Staying Put scheme - Our unrivalled matching process means that many of our foster children remain with their foster parents on a long-term basis and, quite often, beyond the age of 18. Young people benefit from this stability as they approach independence, and foster carers are committed to supporting them for as long as they need – with many staying in touch into adulthood and beyond.
- Family time - We recognise the importance of children staying in touch with people who are significant to them. This includes relatives such as parents and grandparents, as well as others such as former foster parents. We support our foster carers to provide various types of family time, including supported, supervised and unsupervised, and our foster parents are integral to assisting children with family time.
- Finances and benefits - Our financial support for foster parents ensures that they can meet the needs of the children in their care and give them unforgettable experiences, holidays and birthdays. We provide a generous fostering allowance, regular pay increases and additional payments so foster parents have the means to do it. We also have an exclusive rewards platform that every foster parent can access to receive discounts for retailers, days out and holidays. We want all our foster children to have the best experience of family life.
Team of fostering professionals
At Fosterplus, we look after every aspect of each child's well-being by surrounding them with an extensive team of fostering professionals. This includes social workers, therapists, education advisors, care professionals and medical advisors.
We connect our families and children with our highly skilled team, who provide bespoke support whenever needed. Each child is recognised as an individual and we aim to access and obtain the best possible care and support for every child and young person.
Accessible support
At Fosterplus, young people benefit from a range of support tailored to children in foster care, including:
- Support groups and events for children.
- Children’s helpline and text service, so they can contact us when and if needed.
- Young person’s hub with helpful resources.
- Guidance regarding online safety.
- Our highly-resourced Apprenticeship Programme
- Support to help them develop skills for independence and prepare for ageing out of foster care.
Specialist support
Many of our foster parents are expertly trained to care for children and young people who require advanced fostering placements. These include disability care, supporting young parents with a baby and caring for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.
Children with specific needs and those who require additional support are always cared for by foster families trained and equipped to support them.
Education
Our in-house education advisors support children with all their educational needs. Fosterplus is part of the Polaris Community, which employs a Head of Education. They can provide advice, support and guidance on educational issues for children looked after by Fosterplus.
Our Support Services Manager is the Education Lead for Fosterplus and ensures we drive initiatives forward to allow our children and young people to achieve the best possible outcomes.
At Fosterplus, we value every child and pay close attention to every aspect of their well-being so we can create a unique care plan that identifies their needs. We are an inclusive fostering agency, ensuring we support children with whatever they may be going through. Their individuality and preferences inform our support so we can meet their needs.
Supporting birth children
The support we provide to our families extends to all children within the home.
- Our fostering teams are there to support all children, and our supervising social workers ensure they meet with each child in the home to make sure that they are supported and to provide anything they need as part of a family that fosters.
- We have specific training designed for the children of our foster carers, and they are also invited to attend our Prepare to Foster training during the assessment process.
- Fostering involves and impacts every member of the fostering family. Fosterplus arranges group meetings and activities for the children of foster parents, allowing them to share experiences and advice, learn new skills and make friends with young people in similar positions.
- To support the children of our foster carers, we also provide a range of resources for children, such as detailed fostering guides and online resources.
By building close connections with our foster parents and every child in their care, we can provide families with the support and services they need to thrive.
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By phone
One of our team is available to talk to you over the phone to answer any of your fostering queries.
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Your local team
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