There are many fostering providers out there recruiting foster carers. If you are new to fostering, you are likely looking around to find out what the different providers offer.
Factors to consider are:
- Can they demonstrate the quality of care they provide through inspection, testimonials, governance and quality assurance?
- The geographical area that the provider covers – some providers do more in-person work than others, so they need to have a reasonable travel distance. For us, that’s around 90 minutes from Dundee.
- What training and development opportunities are available through assessment and post-approval
- The types of fostering they provide – is it emergency, short-term, long-term, permanent or short breaks you are considering
- The caseload of Supervising Social Workers – how much support is regularly available to you? This is especially important for new carers.
- Can they provide additional services such as support workers and therapeutic work to help your young people?
- Is there an opportunity to regularly meet with other carers for support?
- What are the policies for short breaks and holiday allowances for families?
- Do they offer participation activities for young people and community events?
- Who provides their 24/7 support line? The Supervising Social Workers you already know, or a switchboard system?
- Do they have facilities for you to have an affordable family holiday?
The assessment process can take six months and is very intensive, so it is essential to know that you have chosen the right provider.
We want to help you understand more about the world of fostering with our detailed FAQ posts. We have been looking after children in Scotland for over 200 years, and while things are constantly changing, our focus on providing safe and nurturing homes remains.
