Earlier this year, a supervising social worker at Fostering Solutions in Oundle was unable to go with a foster carer to a court hearing about one of their foster children. The outcome of the hearing looked uncertain and the foster carer felt anxious.
One of the Oundle team’s family support workers stepped in. She rescheduled her own childcare requirements and made the 6-hour round trip to attend the hearing and offer moral support. Rose Griffith, who is the team’s carer recruitment officer, said this anecdote sums the Oundle team up: everybody cares and goes out of their way; it has a genuine family feel.
Our team in Oundle, who handle fostering in Peterborough and other locations close by
Rose has been at Fostering Solutions in Oundle, near Peterborough, since November 2017. She arrived with a lot of experience – she worked at Sure Start for 8 years in several roles including family support worker, children’s worker and children’s centre manager. She has also been a foster carer and is now an adoptive mum, an experience that led her to this role.
She works alongside colleagues who have similar experiences of working in children’s charities, social work, the care system and education. The team comprises a referrals manager and a referrals co-ordinator, 6 social workers, 2 team managers, 3 family support workers, plus Registered Manager David and Regional Manager Anna. Many of the Oundle team have more than 5 years of experience, with some having over 15.
Many of the Oundle team have more than 5 years of experience – with some having over 15.
“The referrals team is office based, but the rest of our team is mostly working out in the field,” Rose said. “At Oundle, we cover fostering in Peterborough, as well as fostering in Northamptonshire, Cambridge and other local areas. We’re out and about, supporting our foster carers and foster children.
“It fluctuates, but currently we have more than 100 foster children in the Oundle area and more than 70 fostering households. We need more foster carers though – especially for certain types of fostering like teenagers, special educational needs, sibling foster children, and Parent & Child.”
As well as an experienced team, retention of foster carers in the area is impressive. Rose said: “Many of our foster carers have long service recognition after 5, 10 and even 20 plus years as a foster carer. There’s not much they haven’t seen and they have a lot to share with our less experienced foster carers.
Fostering ticks a lot of boxes, especially for people who have experience in caring for children – like teachers, teaching assistants, nurses, police officers.
“A few years ago, our foster carers were in their 50s and their children had left home. But now, we’re seeing a lot of people in their 30s coming into fostering. Since the pandemic, many people are looking at what’s important to them, their work life balance, and job satisfaction. Fostering ticks a lot of boxes, especially for people who have experience in caring for children – like teachers, teaching assistants, nurses, police officers.
“Many foster carers in their 30s have their own children to look after too. We give them all the support they need to do this, and support for their children too. Our agency is blessed to have 3 support workers who can offer 1-2-1s and spend time making sure everyone in the household is getting their needs met.”
With many of the team on the road, maintaining the family feel of the agency is the result of a deliberate policy of openness. “We take a personal approach,” said Rose. “We’re not afraid to open up about our lives in a genuine way. Being authentic builds our relationships.
“We make a real effort to get to know all our foster carers. So, you get instances like with the family support worker who went to court to support the foster carer even though it wasn’t technically her responsibility. She knew the foster family and their foster child. She wanted to help. That’s who we are.”
Fostering Solutions is part of National Fostering Group. It provides superb therapeutic and practical services in many regions of England and Wales, including Oundle, Peterborough and Northamptonshire. As part of National Fostering Group, which offers access to excellent training and support, plus a generous fostering allowance and perks & benefits.
As Rose points out, there is a national shortage of foster carers generally. Sadly, this means there are more than 8,000 foster children in the UK waiting for a foster home where they can be safe and thrive. In the areas surrounding Oundle, as we mentioned, there are particular foster carer shortages for teens, special educational needs, sibling groups and Parent & Child fostering
As Rose points out, there is a national shortage of foster carers generally. Sadly, this means there are more than 8,000 foster children in the UK waiting for a foster home where they can be safe and thrive.
Many of our foster carers have found teens immensely rewarding to foster. As Rebecca from one of our other agencies said in her blog, “be open-minded, consider each child as an individual – their strengths, needs, personality… Forget about their age and look at who they are as a person”.
An SEN placement – this could be a foster child with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, or a physical disability. In some cases, an SEN placement might require you to have additional training, though it can also attract a higher fostering allowance payment too. Read Karen’s story.
It’s in their best interests for brothers and sisters to remain together, living in the same fostering household, as much as possible. Broadly speaking, foster children each need a bedroom of their own, so sibling groups need a foster parent with the space.
This is all about helping a new parent gain confidence in looking after their child, and reporting progress. This is an intense placement but can be very rewarding. Parent and child are under your supervision all hours of the day and night for 12 weeks.
We’re recruiting more foster carers around the country, especially people who have professional experience of working with children – like teaching assistants, nurses and care workers.
Do you think you have what it takes to foster a child? See our Can I Foster? tool to find out more, or get in touch with your local independent fostering agency for a chat.
