South Central latest Ofsted report
South Central was rated as Good for their latest Ofsted report. By Ofsted's definition,...
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Mother and baby fostering, more commonly referred to as parent and child fostering, is a specialist type of foster care which involves caring for a vulnerable parent and their young child. Whilst it is usually the mother and baby in care, occasionally it’s the father, and sometimes it’s both!
This type of placement is becoming more common and we are always looking for new families and individuals who wish to become a carer and provide vital support to help a family stay together during a difficult time in their lives.
The parents that need this type of care and support are usually mothers, sometimes they can be in their teens or 20s, although it can sometimes be older mothers too. The mother has usually experienced poor or challenging parenting themselves, they may have been in the care system or have experienced a negative upbringing without good parental examples.
They may also be facing other challenges such as addiction, domestic abuse, mental health problems, or relationship issues. Often, these young parents don’t have a good support system around them and don’t have close friends and family to provide vital guidance in a challenging time for them. The young mum might lack confidence, feel insecure, and have low self-esteem.
These types of placements often come about at the direction of a court, where a parent is given an opportunity to demonstrate that they are able to keep their child safe and meet all of their needs. Placements like these are so important because it gives a young family a chance to stay together and a safe space for them to begin to develop a bond. It ensures the young child has healthy early experiences of care and that the mother learns vital skills and behaviours that will set them up for parenthood. Without kind and compassionate carers supporting parents and their little ones, there’s a good chance that the family would not be able to remain together.
The young parents need guidance and support from the foster carer about ‘good enough parenting’ and how to parent their child. They will often need to prompt the parent to carry out parenting duties and tasks. Some parents might manage the practical side of things such as feeding and changing but struggle with forming an emotional connection and showing love and warmth. Other parents might need help with how to physically care for the child as well as deal with forming a bond with the child.
Often parents can struggle with creating a stimulating and nurturing environment for the child and may not give the child a great deal of attention. Foster carers can help by setting a good example of parenting and offering one-on-one guidance and support. Their role is to praise the parent for things they are doing well and help to build the young parent’s confidence, self-esteem, and skillset.
As a foster carer, you will also work closely with social workers from Fusion Fostering to assess the parent and ensure they are receiving the correct support and that strategies are being put in place to meet the specific needs of both the young parent and the infant. This type of work in fostering is often time-limited and requires carers to have the capacity to be available full time.
All carers at Fusion Fostering receive full training including the ‘Skills to Foster’ training course and additional training supplementation to support learning. For those who wish to become parent and child foster carers, further specialist training is needed as well as an additional assessment to demonstrate the skills and availability to offer this type of placement. This is because the role differs from just fostering a child and requires more specialist knowledge and skills.
When you apply to become a carer, your supervising social worker will discuss types of placement with you and decide which type of care will best suit you. If you wish to become a parent and child carer, your social worker will be able to lead you in the right direction and ensure you receive the right training and support for the role.
Parent and child care can be challenging and the type of person who would be suited to this role would be patient, honest, observant, organised and compassionate. As the role requires caring for babies and very young children, it’s also a great role for anyone who has experience in early childhood.
The carer should also have great listening and communication skills so that they can work together with the mother/father to care for the baby. Observation and recording skills are also important as the carer will need to report back to social workers and evaluate the placement.
Fostering a parent and child requires a high level of skill. You must ensure the baby is safeguarded and adequately cared for whilst also guiding the parent about how to care for the child independently. It can be quite intensive and requires a lot of time, energy, and patience.
That’s why our foster carers are paid between £600 – £800 per week for the time that the parent and child are in their care, this is in recognition of the specialist support carers provide for new families.
Learning to be a parent can be a challenging time for everyone, for young and vulnerable people, it can be an extremely stressful time. Foster care offers them a valuable opportunity to learn essential skills and to keep their family together, providing a happier and more stable future for children and their parents.
If you think you have what it takes to be a foster carer and are interested in mother and baby foster placements, please give us a call to discuss options further on 03301 239 355. Alternatively, you can send an email to info@fusionfostering.com or fill out our contact form below.
Generous Allowances
Competitive fostering allowance and professional fee paid directly to carer, plus other benefits!
24/7 Professional Support
Our professional team are here to help you every step of the way, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Thoughtful Matching
Careful and effective matching of children with your family to ensure the very best outcomes.
Ongoing Training & Development
Anyone can foster and full training is provided to all carers as well as ongoing learning and supplementation.
Initial Enquiry
Call us, complete an online enquiry, use our live chat service or send an email to get in contact and begin your journey!
Home Visit
A social worker from Fusion will visit your home to get to know you and provide further information.
Assessment
The assessment process will review your suitability to foster. Information is gathered into a Form F report.
Skills to Foster Training
You will receive specialist training on a 3 day 'skills to foster' training course.
Panel
Your assessment is presented to the Fostering Panel who will make a recommendation on your application.
Approval
Once approved, you are a registered foster carer and you will await your first foster child.
Support Package
for all carers
24-hour support when you need it.
The opportunity to gain qualifications as you progress through your career.
Regular training and development.
14 days paid annual leave (accrued whilst children are placed).
£600-800 / Week
for parent & child carers
Specialist training is required to undertake parent and child foster care. Fusion Fostering provide full training, support, and guidance to carers who wish to specialise in this area.
As a registered Fusion carer, you will be paid between £600-£800 a week to care for and provide professional support to a parent and their child.
Tax Benefits
and exemptions
In addition to generous financial allowances for – a foster parents status is self-employed, which attracts tax breaks.
The Tax Scheme is called Qualifying Care Relief.
For many foster carers, their specific circumstances will mean they pay little to no tax.
This is dependent on your individual situation and placements, our team can help you to understand this!
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