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Supporting Foster Careers

By: Joe Webb


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Times have changed and fostering is no longer seen as a voluntary service. In order to recruit and retain foster carers it is now accepted that foster carers need to be financially rewarded as are any other workers in social care. Local Authorities and Independent Fostering Agencies provide fees and allowances to enable foster carers to care for children and young people on a full-time basis.

Fostering can work really well for single parents who have to stay at home to care for children, as they can earn up to £500 per week per child tax free, dependant on which private agency you work for.

Many people are choosing fostering as a career choice and committing to fostering on a full time basis. Generally, the more available you are the more placements you will be offered.

The safest foster care placements are those where all of the members of the fostering family are listened to and who feel secure in their position in the family.

Safe placements are associated with foster carers who value training opportunities and who genuinely recognise that learning is lifelong. Successful foster carers access appropriate resources efficiently; they are confident and can converse at all levels.

Although there are particular factors involved in good foster care, well matched placements are made when there is sufficient choice of foster placement and when the matching between the foster placement and the foster child is considered carefully and not needed to be driven by the pressure to place.

There are many factors which help to motivate and maintain quality foster carers however government should consider:
Local authorities think outside of the box when developing their recruitment strategies (Simply Fostering received over one thousand completed enquiry forms)
A form of retention or non placement benefit payment for all experienced foster carers
A national fee based payment structure
A registration scheme for foster carers
Quality, relevant and foster carer family friendly information

A new Foster Care Magazine
Do you enjoy relaxing with a good magazine, such as HELLO or OK ?

Well, Foster Families is a lifestyle magazine aimed directly at foster carers. That means we feature a range of articles, from decorating your home to healthy living, all with a focus on fostering.

Other foster carers share their stories, as do children who have been in care, sharing their secrets and giving advice on how best to handle different situations.

Experts in a number of different fields also feature in Foster Families, sharing their tips on things from dealing with sleeping problems to saying goodbye to a foster child you've cared for. There are plenty of competitions to catch your eye too.

At just £7 for a full year's subscription, Foster Families is the magazine you've been waiting for.

You can try it out for just £2 per copy, or email ubscriptions@fosterfamilies.co.uk for more information.

Subscribe online to make sure you never miss an issue - we'll deliver it direct to your door!

What do other people think?
Foster carer, Melanie, says: What a great magazine - I look forward to the next issue.
Mike Dennis, Fostercare World, says:It's about time carers had a publication like this.

More than just a magazine, find out the latest updates by following us on Facebook or Twitter. Let other foster carers get some use out of those pushchairs, toys, bikes and other things you no longer use, at our Swap Shop. You can buy things there too.

It is of paramount importance to choose the right fostering agency, there are over seven hundred in the UK. Simply Fostering, the UK national foster carer recruitment website provides help by answering questions and identifying the most suitable local fostering agencies with vacancies.

Simply Fostering help people interested in becoming foster carers to act on the Government's advice to contact more than one Fostering Agency if you are interested in a fostering career.

For comprehensive and easy to understand information, help and advice, contact Annette or Joe at Simply Fostering .

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

Joe is a long time supporte of www.simplyfostering.co.uk and the foster carers site www.fostercarers-allowances.co.uk

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