Support and Training

We provide the comprehensive training and support you need to excel at being a foster carer. Our training is designed to:

• Help foster carers become better at doing their job
• Improve knowledge and skills and assist carers in promoting the physical, social and emotional development of children and young people
• Establish an explicit, positive framework of values, which promotes equality of opportunity
• Encourage foster carers to reflect and look at the effect of discrimination in all parts of the community, recognising that they care for children in the context of a wider society, and that for many children discrimination is a fact of everyday life
• Ensure that all foster carers are competent and confident in safe caring and protecting children from harm
• Encourage foster carers take responsibility for their own professional development through the creation of individual training profiles.

In addition, we are committed to supporting our foster carers to receive formal recognition of their skills, knowledge and experience if they want to do so. Currently we offer 6 places each year for carers who would like to study towards and achieve a nationally-recognised award.

This is the comprehensive, on-going support you'll receive:

• Regular face to face and telephone contact is always readily available from the fostering service
• We provide essential items of furniture, baby equipment, school equipment, clothing and bedding for foster carers
• We have a buddying system where foster carers receive support and befriending from other foster carers
• There are lots of social activities for you, your children and the child/ren you are caring for, especially during the school holidays
• All carers are allocated to a Social Worker in the Fostering Supervising Team, who will offer support as well as supervision and monitoring
• There are monthly support groups for any carers who want to enjoy the advice and support of other carers
• The Fostering Forum (carers & workers) meets regularly to discuss fostering issues & to listen to foster carers' views
• A Fostering Duty system is in operation during the hours of 8.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. A Duty Officer will receive and act on, as appropriate, any requests/concerns of carers
• An Out of Hours Team will support and advise carers on request, offering a 24-hour service
• The Foster Carer Charter will identify foster care support
• All foster carers are eligible for individual membership of the Fostering Network - this allows carers to access advice and support, including legal advice, independently of the Rotherham Fostering Service.