Read foster carer Felicia's story
"Seeing the difference you are making to young people’s lives and giving them a second chance makes everything worthwhile."
Why I chose parent and child fostering - Felicia
Is all about keeping young families together, where a parent and child stay with you at a time when they need extra support.
Parent and Child (P&C) fostering is about keeping young families together, where a parent and child stay with you when they need extra support. In most cases, the child is very young.
The sooner a child experiences good parenting and a stable environment, the greater their potential; this is why we offer Parent and Child (P&C) fostering. Unfortunately, the parents we work with in these types of fostering may not have been parented well and so don’t have the experience to base their own parenting.
This fostering type used to be referred to as mother and baby or parent and baby fostering and happens when a concern has been identified by the local authority about the parenting or home environment the child is in.
The parent(s) then come to stay with the foster carers, where the carers can observe, teach, and guide the parent. In addition, foster carers provide observations to social services to inform their decision-making progress.
There are two types of Parent and Child placements:
Parenting Support Placement:
Minimal observation and guidance is needed and there are no concerns about parenting capability. The parent has full control of caring for their child, with the carer being a secondary support. Carers support and advise.
Parenting Skills Placement:
An observed and supported placement requiring greater responsibility and task completion. Carers will observe, model, teach and guide parents in parenting skills. Carers will be required to provide a high level of supervision to the Parent and Child and be aware of any safeguarding concerns.
Comprehensive records are required in both types of placement.
Lorraine and Nick have been fostering with us since 2019. Here they discuss the challenges and rewards, plus giving hints & tips for anyone considering becoming a parent and child foster carer.
"Seeing the difference you are making to young people’s lives and giving them a second chance makes everything worthwhile."
Why I chose parent and child fostering - Felicia
Short-term fostering is when a child or young person temporarily lives with a foster carer. At the same time, longer-term preparations are established for their fostering or when the time is right for them to return to the care of their birth family.
Foster carers who do respite fostering usually care for children already staying with other foster carers. As a respite foster carer, you will join our local network of carers offering support to our foster carers when they need it most.
Permanence is long-term planning for a child or young person’s upbringing. The aim is to offer children a secure, stable, and loving home to last through childhood and beyond, providing a sense of security, continuity, commitment, identity, and belonging.
