Fostering a child
- What is fostering?
- Who can apply
- What we offer
- How to apply
- What happens next
- Fostering Facts in Haringey
What is fostering?
Fostering is about providing a home for children or young people who are unable to live with their own family. The reasons why a child can no longer live at home are varied, as are the needs of the children who go into care. The children are of different ages, from young babies to teenagers, and come from many different cultural backgrounds. Some children may have disabilities or special needs.
There are occasions when a child or young person is unable to return to their own family. When this happens, they will either live with long-term or permanent foster parents or they may be adopted.
|Back to topWho can apply?
You can become a foster carer if you are:
- Married, living together or single
- 18 or over - as long as you are physically and emotionally able to look after a child
- Gay or straight
- Living in rented accommodation or in your own home, as long as you have a spare room
- Black, white or from an ethnic minority community.
The important thing is that you can offer a child a caring, safe and stable home for either a short or long period of time. Not everyone will end up being an approved foster carer, but restrictions will be fairly applied.
We are particularly short of foster carers who are white and could look after young teenagers.
|Back to topWhat we offer
- A weekly allowance to cover the cost of everyday expenses and a generous weekly fee for yourself
- Training (including the possibility of an NVQ Level 3 qualification)
- Advice and supervision by a social worker
- 24-hour support via a telephone helpline
- Each child will have their own social worker (this person is always different from the carer's social worker).
How to apply
Fostering a child - registration of interest eform
Haringey Fostering Service
40 Cumberland Road
Wood Green
London N22 7SG
Tel 020 8489 3754
Email fostering.adoption@haringey.gov.uk.
What happens next?
Your assessment as a potential foster carer will start once you have completed the registration of interest eform.
It generally takes six months to complete a full assessment.
|Back to topFostering Facts in Haringey
There are 56 carers for children over 11 years old and 63 carers for children under 11.
From the 1st April 2006 - 31 March 2007 we had over 204 children come into care.
At the end of March 2007 there were 437 Haringey children in care.
Of the 437 children in care at the end of March 2007, 240 (55%) are male and 197 (45%) are female
Of the 437 children in care at the end of March 2007 the ethnic breakdown is as follows:
- 83 (19%) White UK
- 34 (8%) white other
- 206 (47%) Black - the breakdown is no more specific
- 19 (4%) Asian
- 65 (15%) Mixed - the breakdown is no more specific
- 30 (7%) Other - the breakdown is no more specific.
Of the 437 children in care at the end of March 2007, 29 had a disability.
Fostering is about providing a home for children or young people who are unable to live with their own family. The reasons why a child can no longer live at home are varied, as are the needs of the children who go into care. The children are of different ages, from young babies to teenagers, and come from many different cultural backgrounds. Some children may have disabilities or special needs.
There are occasions when a child or young person is unable to return to their own family. When this happens, they will either live with long-term or permanent foster parents or they may be adopted.
People can become a foster carer if they are:
- Married, living together or single 18 or over - as long as you are physically and emotionally able to look after a child
- Gay or straight Living in rented accommodation or in your own home, as long as you have a spare room
- Black, white or from an ethnic minority community.
The important thing is that people can offer a child a caring, safe and stable home for either a short or long period of time.
Not everyone will end up being an approved foster carer, but restrictions will be fairly applied.
Carers will be offered:
- A weekly allowance to cover the cost of everyday expenses and a generous weekly fee for yourself
- Training (including the possibility of an NVQ Level 3 qualification)
- Advice and supervision by a social worker
- 24-hour support via a telephone helpline.
- Each child will have their own social worker (this person is always different from the carer's social worker).
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Update MePage Last Updated: 14 July 2008
This page belongs to the following categories :
- Health and social care > Social services > Children and family care > Adoption and fostering
