Fostering Service Statement of Purpose

The fostering service is provided by staff from the Family Placement Team, which is part of the Children in our Care and Care Leavers service area within Children's Social Care. The team offer a fostering service as well as having responsibility for recruiting and assessing supported lodgings providers.

The Family Placement Team is made up of three specialist teams. The Recruitment and Assessment Team is responsible for the, assessment, training and pre-approval support of applicants for mainstream and kinship fostering and supported lodgings. It also shares responsibility with the Foster with North East (FwNE) regional recruitment hub for marketing and recruitment activity within the Borough to attract new fostering enquiries. There are two teams for the supervision and support of approved foster carers; the Post Approval Mainstream Fostering Team has responsibility for approved mainstream foster carers whilst the Kinship Team has responsibility for approved kinship foster carers and those offering permanence to children and young people by means of Special Guardianship. Although each team focuses on their particular area of expertise, the three teams work closely together to ensure there is a cohesive, flexible and seamless approach to the assessment, supervision and support of our fostering and supported lodgings community.