Parent and child fostering
Fostering a child with their parent. For experienced carers with strong communication and mentoring skills.
Parent and child is one of our more specialised forms of fostering, usually (but not always) undertaken by experienced foster carers. You’ll support both a parent and their child (typically a baby) in your home, while professionals assess their ability to parent for themselves. You’ll provide guidance and a nurturing environment for both.
What is parent and child fostering?
Parent and child placements are time-limited, initially for 12 weeks, and you will be involved in contributing to the assessment of whether the parent and child move on to independent living.
You will need:
- A spare room in your home big enough to accommodate a bed and a cot.
- Experience of being a parent and other relevant childcare experience, for example as a health visitor, childminder, midwife or nurse.
- The ability to teach practical parenting skills like sterilising bottles, preparing a feed, changing nappies and bathing babies.
- The ability to encourage the parent to nurture and engage with their baby and to respond to its needs.
- The ability to establish clear boundaries and routines.
- The ability to relate to young and vulnerable parents.
- The ability to observe people and accurately record and report your findings, including preparing reports for Court that may affect the decision about the long-term prospect for the parent and child.
- A commitment to supporting the parent and child to attend health visits, Court and other meetings with professionals, as needed.
- The ability to support contact between the parent and child and their families, including helping with transport if needed.
- The ability to work with a range of professionals.
- A genuine commitment to developing your skills, including learning more about therapeutic parenting.
- Patience and resilience.
- A positive attitude to helping people to change.
Support package:
- Fostering fee of £811.51 per week plus an age-related fee based on the status of the parent and child, whilst they are with you.
- Specialised training programme.
- Specialised support from your own supervising social worker.
- Out of hours emergency support.
- A dedicated support group of other parent and child foster carers.
