Fostering
Fostering in Haringey
To Foster is to Care
Fostering changes lives… both for those being fostered and foster carers.
People foster for a number of reasons but overwhelmingly it’s because they want to make a difference to a child’s life.
There are many children in Haringey who need foster carers.
Agreeing that a child shouldn’t live with their family is not always an easy or clear cut decision. Neither is the decision to become a foster carer.
- Fostering Service Statement of Purpose - September 2017 (PDF, 513KB)
- Download the leaflet: To Foster is to Care (PDF, 304KB)
Teenage Fostering
Thinking about fostering teenagers, watch our video below:
To help us highlight the need for foster carers for teenagers we have produced this short awareness film which features foster carers and care leavers talking about their experiences in fostering. It not only presents the challenges and difficult situations that can be involved in foster care of children of all ages but also the happy experiences and the real difference you can make to a young life.
It was made as part of an ongoing project with the North London Fostering Consortium where Haringey works in conjunction with Barnet, Camden, Enfield and Islington.
Watch the film here and get first hand accounts of how by becoming a foster carer you can change a young life forever.
Parent and Child Specialist Scheme
As a parent and child foster carer you would support a new parent and their child in your own home. You would help the young parent adapt to their new situation of having a baby and help them to develop their parenting skills. They may be emotional and nervous and you will need to patiently teach and model good parenting.
You will also observe and make reports that will form an assessment for the local authority on the suitability of the parent to adequately look after their child. You must be able to form a trusting and supportive relationship while remaining professional and able to make judgements that will be part of the process to make the best decision for the future of the child.
This role requires experience of working within childcare or with young people and you may be a foster carer already. Your experience may be from a health or social care background or through teaching or another role that involves working with teenagers or young people with challenging behaviour.
- You must have space for a young parent and child to live with you in your home generally for a structured 12-week period
- You will need the ability to build a supportive relationship with a vulnerable parent and help them learn how to look after their child
- You will be asked to provide daily written logs and significantly contribute to the assessments of both the child’s need and the parent’s ability to meet these needs
- You will work with a social worker and other professionals to complete the assessment
- You will need good communication skills including a good level of written and spoken English
- You must be able to support the young person with purposeful and constructive criticism
- You will need the ability to ‘stand back’, encouraging the parent to meet their infant or child’s day-to-day care, stimulation, affection and attachment needs
Benefits:
- 24-hour support
- £867 per week with the parent having responsibility for their own costs such as their food, the child's food, travel, personal needs etc
- £250 per week between placements (up to 10 weeks)
- Specialist training
- Regular support group meetings
The North London Adoption and Fostering Consortium (NLAFC) is a partnership of six north London boroughs: Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey and Islington. We work together to provide increased placement choice and improved long-term outcomes for our children and young people.
To find out more watch the NLAFC video on YouTube (external link) and read the leaflet: Parent and Child - Specialist Fostering Scheme (PDF, 854KB)
I'm interested, how do I apply?
If you would like to become a foster carer, or want to find out more about any of the schemes above, contact us using the details below:
- Write to: Haringey Fostering Recruitment Service, River Park House, 225 High Road, Wood Green, N22 8HQ
- Email: fosteringrecruitment@haringey.gov.uk
- Tel: 020 8489 3754
- Attend one of our fostering information sessions
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