Find out if you could be a foster carer
In a few simple questions, you’ll know if you’re suitable to apply to become a foster carer.
As a Respite Foster Carer, you will provide temporary care for foster children when their foster parents need some time to themselves. The time you will be providing care is usually short, ranging from 1 or 2 days to about a week. We arrange planned respite care where possible so the child can establish a trusting relationship with the respite carer.
You’ll be providing an invaluable service to foster or birth families who need a well-earned rest in order to continue caring for a young person. You’ll be giving families the chance to stay together thanks to a much-needed opportunity to rest.
It is a highly specialised and rewarding role. You’ll be offering them a home-away-from-home where they can thrive. This type of care can take place during the week or at weekends.
Our respite foster carers don’t do this alone: National Fostering Group provides excellent support and training. You have a dedicated Supervising Social Worker who is backed by an experienced local team, access to 24/7 advice and excellent training delivered in your area.
If you think this type of fostering would suit you, please enquire now.
Just as you would if you wanted to become a long-term or short-term foster carer, you would go through an application process to be on your way to becoming a Respite Foster Carer. The process itself starts with filling out an enquiry form followed by an information pack or a phone call discussion with us about fostering, what type of fostering you’re interested in and your next steps. The following steps are then carried out so you can be on your way to becoming a foster carer:
If you’re interested in learning more or starting your application to become a foster carer, your next step is to get in touch with our team by completing our enquiry form. You will have the following options:
You might like to go over or reflect upon some key topics in your own time. The information pack is emailed to you once you’ve submitted the contact form.
If you don’t want an information pack at this stage, that’s okay. You can submit the form again at a later date and request one, or simply ask your local fostering agency contact to email you a copy.
If you ask for a call, a member of your local agency team will call you back as soon as they can. This will be either the registered manager or a carer recruitment officer who goes over the process of becoming a foster carer.
At this point, if you’re ready to proceed with your application, you can use this call to arrange an initial home visit.
We’ll arrange to meet with you and your family at your home, so we can get to know you better – and so you can get to know us too.
The Initial Home Visit is designed to help us to get to know each other and give you a more thorough understanding of what to expect from fostering if you go ahead with an application to become a foster carer.
You’ll need to complete an application form, which asks for basic information like contact details and an overview of your situation.
We’re here to help if you need guidance, there are no right or wrong answers.
A social worker will then be assigned to work with you through the rest of the process.
Your social worker will work with you to complete Form F and prepare you for the Fostering Panel meeting
The questions you’ll be asked are designed to find out how fostering might impact you and your family, including your own children, so it’s important to answer fully and honestly.
As one of the UK’s most experienced fostering agencies, we want to give you all the skills you need to be your best.
Your mandatory 3-day ‘Skills to Foster’ training is delivered free of charge either online or at a venue in your region.
A Fostering Panel makes a final check of all the information that has been gathered throughout the assessment process and makes a recommendation to approve your foster carer application.
The Panel then passes information to the Agency Decision Maker (ADM). You’ll be informed at the panel whether you are being recommended as approved to the ADM.
Once your Skills to Foster course has been completed and the ADM has approved your application, you’ll be ready for your first child.
The local agency team you have been working with will use the information you’ve provided to match you with your first child – and your foster carer journey will begin.
This type of fostering gives time off to foster families and birth families who are in need of extra support because of high levels of stress. Basically, they need to have a short period of time to recharge their energies.
Respite fostering gives families the chance to stay together and a much-needed opportunity to rest. It’s also ideal for families with a child who has a disability or additional needs; it gives them time away from the demands involved in caring for a child who has high-level care needs.
Children from families who need respite foster care are linked to a foster carer – a familiar face who can provide regular periods of respite. This means the child won’t feel disrupted by the change and can build a trusted relationship with the respite carer.
Respite care is often the difference between a challenging foster placement working and not. It makes foster family life work in difficult situations – nobody burns out and everyone gets what they need.
Respite carers are surprisingly hard to find but it makes such a difference. This type of foster care allows bigger things to happen. They play themselves down as if they’re not as important, but this isn’t the case at all!
Robert’s family had received respite care to alleviate pressures on his family. He was 11 years old, on the cusp of puberty, and had ADHD, ODD and Asperger’s syndrome. This made some of his behaviour quite challenging.
He was placed with Diane initially for respite foster care. Diane continued to provide him with the routines he was familiar with and reassured by, and he thrived on one-to-one attention.
The relationship between them was working well, so Robert was eventually placed with Diane long-term. The commitment she was able to give him on a full-time basis created a trusting bond; when Robert revealed he was transgender, Diane was able to help him explore – with the help of professionals – what this means to him. Read Robert’s full story.
Respite Foster Care is important for foster parents because it allows them to take some time for themselves. We all need breaks to recharge, even parents, and by providing Respite Foster Care, you allow the foster parents to take care of their own well-being too so they can come back and continue to give the foster child the best care possible.
Many of our Respite Foster Carers become full-time foster parents. They experience the highly rewarding nature of foster care and simply feel it’s right for them long term. Respite fostering often allows carers to get a feel for what full-time foster care could be like, and whether this is something they could do full-time.
If you find yourself in this position, you can simply speak to your Social Worker who will guide you through the process. The process itself is straightforward and quick, and you will not have to go through another assessment. To speak to us further about transferring from Respite Foster Care to full-time fostering, get in touch with us and we’ll further discuss any questions you may have.
If you have any more questions about becoming a Respite Foster Carer, we recommend getting in touch to talk it over with complete confidentiality. We have teams in every region, so you will be able to chat with a fostering professional who is local to you. They will be able to share their experience and give you all the information you need to make a decision.
