Fostering Service Statement of Purpose

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council provides a range of foster homes for children in the care of the Local Authority. Foster carers may be registered for one particular type of care or for a variety of arrangements.

The following types of arrangements are offered:

Short term

Short term care varies in duration from an overnight stay to several months and, in some situations for more than a year before a child's plan is finalised, particularly if there are complex court proceedings.

The main purpose is to provide children with temporary care when they are unable to remain in the care of their parents. The focus is on supporting the children to return to the care of their birth family or to move on to long term foster care, adoption, or independence. Where appropriate, short-term foster carers can be reassessed and approved as long-term foster carers. The tasks of the foster carers vary in accordance with the child's plan. Children may be placed in an emergency or in a planned way.

Long term

These arrangements are often for the duration of the child's childhood or until a significant change within the birth family, which allows for reunification with birth parents. The carer's task is to offer long term substitute care to the child, usually with regular ongoing family time with birth family. These arrangements are always planned and involve children being carefully matched to the skills and family environment of the long-term foster carer and going to live with the family following a period of introductions. Where children have been placed in a short-term arrangement, and this is subsequently assessed as the most appropriate long-term arrangement, a thorough matching process will take place to ensure that the child's long-term needs can be met.

Bridging or task centered care

These arrangements are usually for young people who go to live with the foster carers as an adolescent and the main task of the carers is to prepare the young person for independence or eventual return to birth family. In some instances, these arrangements may be for younger children and could involve joining siblings together and the task of the carer may be to help prepare the child(ren) to move into their long-term family.

Short breaks for children in our care

The aim of short break care for children in foster care is to offer both the child and the main carer support. Occasionally short breaks are arranged due to the main carer being unavailable for a short period of time.

Short breaks for children who are not in our care

These arrangements are mainly for children living within their own birth families, who require, for whatever reason, a series of short breaks away from the family home. The main task of the carer is to provide the child with continuity of care away from home.

Emergency carers

These arrangements are available to children who require foster carer at very short notice, often outside of normal office hours. The children usually stay with the families for a matter of days until longer term plans are made.

Kinship foster carers

When a decision has been made that a child cannot, for whatever reason, remain in the care of their parents, the Local Authority has a responsibility to consider whether anyone within the child's network of family and friends can safely care for them. In these situations, the children are placed with the kinship carer after the person has been fully assessed and approved as a foster carer.

If the arrangement has been made in an emergency under Regulation 24 of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review Regulations (2010), the kinship carer is given a temporary approval status as a foster carer and a suitability to foster assessment needs to be completed within 16 weeks of the child being placed.

'Staying Put' carers

Young people who have been looked after by foster carers often wish to remain within the family after reaching the age of 18 years. Where this is felt to be in the young person's best interests, and with the agreement of the foster carer, the young person continues to live with the family under a 'Staying Put' arrangement. Staying put arrangements usually continue until the young person reaches the age of 21, unless there are specific circumstances which would require this to be extended, or the young person moves to independence. As young people are over the age of 18 years, Staying Put is no longer a fostering arrangement. The carers may continue to be approved foster carers if they are available for other children and, as such, will continue to receive supervision and support via the Fostering Service. Where this is not the case, the Family Placement Team will continue to support the former foster carer whilst the staying put arrangement is in place.

Supported Lodgings hosts

The Supported Lodgings Scheme offers accommodation and support to young people in a family-type setting with supportive adults. The scheme is a stepping stone to independence for young people who are usually aged 16 to 21 years. The service is available to Children in Our Care, Care Leavers and those young people who are homeless and are supported under Child in Need.

Supported lodgings hosts work with the young person to identify areas of support and help them to learn the appropriate skills so that they are ready to move into a less supported environment when the time is right for them. All young people have their own bedroom within the home which is furnished and maintained to a good standard and have access to all areas of the house including the lounge, kitchen and bathroom for example. These will be shared with the Host and with any other young people who also live in the home.

Supported Lodgings are suitable for young people whose needs are assessed as being ready for a move to independence within a family-based setting, in line with their Valuing Care Profile and their care or pathway plan.

Following assessment and approval by the fostering service, supported lodgings providers will transfer to the Supported Accommodation Team for ongoing training and support.

The following services are provided by Foster with North East in conjunction with the Stockton Fostering Service to:

Prospective Foster Carers

• advice and information (written or verbal and via monthly online information sessions) to those interested in becoming foster carers or supported lodgings providers
• initial visits to people expressing an interest in becoming foster carers or supported lodgings providers
• preparation training for applicants, including the one-day 'Welcome to Stockton' training

The following services are provided by Stockton Fostering Service to:

Prospective and approved foster carers

• assessment and approval as a foster carer or supported lodgings host
• supervision for approved foster carers
• support for foster carers and their families via support groups, events and social activities
• an annual celebration and awards event
• groups for the children of foster carers, known as 'Kids who Care'
• post-approval training for foster carers
• weekly allowances or financial support
• basic equipment, for example beds, cots, wardrobes
• independent annual foster care reviews
• Emergency Duty Team out-of-hours service
• emergency support within office hours via the Fostering Duty Service
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) consultation service for carers
• advice and mediation service - spot purchase for carers subject to an allegation
• membership of Fostering Network
• short breaks provision
• consultation with carers over development of the service
• grants for home extension and adaptations in specific cases
• discounts for Tees Active
• virtual school
• Looked After Children's Nurse
• option to join the Mockingbird Programme

Social work staff

• a placement coordinator and duty social worker are available from 8:30am to 5pm Monday to Thursday and until 4:30pm on Friday
• identification and provision of a range of foster care arrangements for looked after children
• advice and consultation regarding viability of kinship foster carers
• liaison with other agencies to identify suitable fostering arrangements when none are available from Stockton Fostering Service
• provision of carers for use by the Emergency Duty Team for emergency fostering arrangements need during evenings, weekends and Bank Holidays
• out of hours contact with Service Leads by the Emergency Duty Team
• advice and consultation to social workers regarding general fostering issues