The Foster Care Co-operative

General information

On any one day there are more than 62,000 children living with foster families across the UK, and every 22 minutes a child comes into care in need of a foster family. It is estimated that a further 8,600 foster carers are needed this year alone to provide the supportive, stable and caring home for these vulnerable children.

WHAT IS FOSTERING?

Fostering is a way of providing a family life for children who cannot live with their own parents.
It is often used to provide temporary care while parents get help sorting out problems or to help children or young people through a difficult period in their lives.

Often children will return home once the problems that caused them to come into foster care have been resolved and that it is clear that their parents are able to look after them safely. Others may stay in long-term foster care, some may be adopted, and others will move on to live independently.

ABOUT THE FOSTER CARE COOPERATIVE

The Foster Care Co-operative (FCC) – has been placing children in family homes for almost fifteen years.

As a Not-For-Profit foster care agency, any surplus income FCC makes is re-invested to provide more foster care support, more training and towards recruiting more foster carers, to give a stable home environment to more children.

The FCC is above all child orientated; taking great care to match children with foster carers. There is no pressure to place children in order to maximise profit, with a special culture based on valuing foster carers and dedication to providing mutual support that will change a child’s life.

WHO CAN FOSTER?

Anyone can foster and carers come from all walks of life - married, single, separated or divorced, in a regular or long term partnership or in a civil partnership. Wherever possible foster carers are sought who reflect and understand the child's heritage, ethnic origin, culture and language.

There are no upper age limits for fostering, but you do need to be reasonably fit and healthy and mature enough to work with the complex needs that children needing fostering are likely to have. You should have a good support network and are subject to criminal disclosure checks.

You do not necessarily need to have children of your own and may well have other life experiences, for example, being part of a large family or have nieces and nephews. Carers need to have a ‘can do’ approach to life, to offer patience, a stable home environment, lots of time and commitment to the children placed with them – and of course, a sense of humour!

Carers need to be able to offer a child or children a room of their own as well as offering patience, time and commitment to young people of different ages. In return FCC offers professional support from fully qualified social workers, full and comprehensive training and a fee which recognises a professional caring role.

WHAT DO FOSTER CARERS DO?

The foster carers role is to provide high quality care for the child. All children in foster care will be looked after by a local authority and the foster carers will work in partnership with the local authority to provide this.

The foster carers may also work with other professionals such as therapists, teachers or doctors to help the child to deal with emotional traumas or physical or learning disabilities.

WHY FCC?

What all the FCC foster carers have in common is a commitment to the children placed in their care. The stability of placements with FCC is more than six times higher than the national average.

All carers are assured of continuing qualified, professional support and good remuneration as they are an integral part of the co-operative. FCC’s interest is in investing in the carers, not in producing profits for others.

WHAT’S THE PROCESS?

People who want to become foster carers need to go through thorough preparation and assessment. They attend groups where they learn about the needs of children coming into foster care. Alongside this, they receive visits from a social worker. The social worker will then prepare a report that is presented to an independent fostering panel, which recommends whether this person/family can become foster carers. References and DBS checks need to be made, and often a medical is required.

BENEFITS

Alongside the knowledge that a child is being given a safe and loving home, FCC offer fee which recognises a professional caring role. Foster carers do not pay tax on their income from fostering, up to the maximum of £10,000 plus allowances and the HMRC have a free e-learning module especially for foster carers which provides detailed information about tax credits and benefits, including qualifying for care relief. Foster carers are also entitled to Home Responsibility Protection, which is linked to National Insurance contributions, a way to make sure that you do not get less Basic Retirement Pension just because you have stayed at home to look after a child.

FCC also offer regular get togethers (adults only and family days) - previous trips have included theme parks, sports tickets, quiz nights, bbq’s and parties; as well as discounts provided by our local partners.