Foster carers

Foster carers who look after children they don’t know and are not related to are sometimes called ‘mainstream’ foster carers.

When you are approved as a mainstream foster carer with us, children or young people who come into care can come to live with you. Your skills and experience are considered along with the needs of the child. If these are a good match, the child will come to stay with you. This is typically in a short term or long term fostering home.

What foster carers do

 There's no set duties for a mainstream foster carer, but you can be asked to:

• Support children and young people in their education, look after their health and promote their social wellbeing.
• Attend meetings about the children in your care, including reviews, case conferences and court hearings. You’ll keep written records and contribute to reports about the child. You will manage information that is confidential and sensitive.
• Support children to maintain family time with birth families. Family time can be direct (face-to-face) or indirect (telephone, email or letters). You’ll receive training to help you do this.
• Work as part of a team, with the people who are involved with the wellbeing of the young person you are caring for. Social workers, the children’s birth families, education providers, health care workers, counsellors etc can be part of this team.
• Work with us to develop strategies to help a child manage their feelings and experiences. Children and young people can have trouble coping, be distressed and have difficult thoughts because of the upheaval of no longer being able to live in their family home. We work with you to identify this and support with ways of managing it.
• Undertake ongoing training and development to help develop your skills and knowledge in therapeutic parenting. This can also help develop your career in fostering.

Find out more

Contact us using the buttons below to ask more questions, find out how to apply or to enquire about transferring to foster with Walsall.