At Nationwide Fostering, we believe that our fostering support team should provide the best possible support to our foster family. To remedy this, each foster carer is allocated a supervising social worker who will oversee and support them during their fostering duties.
Our supervising social workers recognises that the foster child’s needs come first, therefore they do everything they can to assist carers in finding great foster families.
Why foster carer support matters
Our caregivers are the backbone of our organization. According to recent studies, a lack of support for care providers has been linked to their decision to stop fostering. As a result, we provide our foster carers with a comprehensive package of focused, professional support as well as financial compensation for their efforts. The management and staff at Nationwide Fostering take great satisfaction in delivering exceptional support to carers and young people.
Foster Carers Support at Nationwide Fostering
The main areas of support we offer at Nationwide Fostering are detailed below.
Fostering allowance: Foster carers receive a competitive fostering allowance of between £362 and £500 per week
Allocated Supervising Social Worker: Nationwide Fostering assigns a fully qualified supervising social worker to each foster family. This is an important aspect of the foster carer support we provide. The supervising social worker pays regular visits to the foster caregiver, attends meetings with them, and communicates with them on a regular basis. At every stage of the fostering process, they assist, encourage, guide, train, and work with foster carers.
24/7 Foster Carer Support: For any type of emergency, all of our carers have access to a member of staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When foster carers are confronted with a difficult scenario or, indeed, any type of emergency that may develop, it’s critical that they understand there are support measures in place to help them.
Training: Fostering is a difficult job, so we offer a complete training programme that covers topics like behavioral management, health and safety, first aid, attachment theory, professional communication, fostering regulations and law, and more. We also encourage and help our carers to achieve the Children’s Workforce Development (CWDC) standards and NVQ level 3 certification.
Monthly visits: A supervising social worker usually visits the fostering home once a month, if not more, to provide support and direction to the foster carer as well as to resolve any difficulties.
Telephone calls: The supervising social worker contacts the foster carer at least once a week, and in most situations more frequently, to check in and discuss any issues that the foster caregiver may have.
Social meetings: We host gatherings for carers to meet like-minded people and share their experiences, learn from one another, and meet others who could become part of their support network.
Family outings: We often plan activities for foster carers and their family, such as a trip to a theme park or a year-end party.
These can assist in the development of beneficial relationships and experiences for everyone involved.
Foster carers support groups for Birth Children: We hold special support meetings for foster carers’ own children, where they can socialize with children from other foster families.
Discount scheme: Hundreds of discounts at high street stores, theme parks, and web-based businesses are available through a membership card.
Access to professional advice: We understand that juggling the more practical components of the fostering process while maintaining a busy lifestyle can be difficult.
As a result, every one of our foster carers and their families has immediate access to:
- a financial advisor
- a legal advisor
- a teacher’s aide
These are offered to everyone residing in a foster household and can make a significant difference in how smoothly the fostering placement runs.