Adoption, Fostering, Respite Foster Care, Post-Adoption Counselling and Pregancy Counselling. St Andrew's Children's Society.

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7 John's Place Leith Edinburgh EH6 7EL     T: 0131 454 3370
   
 

     Useful Links

Link to British Association for Adoption & Fostering.

 

Link to the Fostering Network Web Site.

 

 

Link to the Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies Web Site.
What is Foster Care?
  
 

We provide foster care placements for a range of children of all ages.

Sometimes a placement might last for a few days other placements last for several years and can become a lifetime commitment to a child.

Foster carers receive a fee payment that is given to recognise the ‘task’ you are undertaking for the child. You also receive allowances that help to pay for the cost of caring for a child i.e. to pay for food, clothing, pocket money etc.

  
Criteria For Assessment
  
 

Below are the general criteria for accepting prospective adoptive applicants for assessment.
 (Click on a criteria heading for more detail.)

  
  - Age
Couples and single people aged of 21 and over. We do not have an upper age limit but it must be clearly demonstrated that the applicant has the space, energy and good health to meet the needs of children. It is likely that older applicants will be considered primarily for older children.
 
  - Religion
We recruit:
  • Roman Catholic couples and single people for children of a Roman Catholic heritage.
  • Couples and single people of all religious denominations for children of any religious heritage.
  • Couples and single people of no religious persuasion for children where religion is not a matching consideration.
 
  - Racial Origin
We recruit:
  • White couples and single people for children from a white racial and cultural background.
  • Black, Chinese and Asian couples and single people for children from black,Chinese and Asian racial and cultural backgrounds.
There maybe occasions when a trans-racial placement may be considered if it is thought to be in the best interests of a particular child, but this would be at variance to the normal practice of same race placements and would therefore need to be well justified.
 
  - Family Composition
We recruit:
  • Couples and single people who are childless.
  • Couples and single people who have birth children.
 
  - Gender
We recruit:
  • Males and females who are married or living together in a committed and enduring relationship.
  • Same sex couples living together in a committed and enduring relationship.
  • Single males.
  • Single females.
 
  Based on the panel’s recommendation, the agency decision maker will then decide whether or not to approve you. Normally, you will be notified of the decision within a week of the panel.  
  Assessment not taken up?  
  Sometimes an assessment is not taken up, this can be for a variety of reasons.
Possible reasons:		  
  • An applicant has a criminal conviction of a violent or sexual nature, especially if that offence was committed against a child.
  • An applicant, or someone else in the household has a serious, life threatening illness.
  • An applicant does not have suitable accommodation that would allow them to care for a child appropriately.
  • The lifestyle of an applicant was such that it would impede their ability to care for a child, e.g. their employment or hobby meant that they spent a lot of time away from home and that meant that someone other than the applicant would have significant caring responsibilities for a child placed.
  • An applicant has a child that they do not care for and is being accommodated and looked after by a local authority.
  • An applicant has a child under 5 living in their household.
 
  Here are brief details of some of the kinds of children we have placed in the past:  
 

Darren is 11 years old and lives in a residential unit and has regular weekend contact with his birth family. He will not ever be able to live with his family and he needs to spend the rest of his childhood in a family environment where he will be cared for and feel secure. Foster carers will be able to provide this security while respecting and promoting his need to have good contact with his family.

Sarah is 7 years old and was sexually abused by a family acquaintance. Her birth mother loves her but cannot guarantee to protect her and keep her safe. Sarah loves her mother and needs to see her in a safe environment but she needs to be part of a foster family that can help her deal with the hurt and disappointment she feels about what happened to her and to help her build up her trust in adults again.

  
 

 

  
Could you do it?
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  Every child has the right to be raised in a caring and stable family environment and to have someone to turn to for support when they become independent. Children need to be placed with foster carers when this is not their experience and there are significant problems in family relationships that sadly result in neglectful and even abusive home environments.

Fostering can bring many rewards and a sense of doing something really worthwhile. Many of the children have low self-esteem and lack confidence in themselves and in adults and it can be very satisfying to see a child grow happier and more secure in your care.

By providing much needed stability and support you can give a child a new chance in life and make a real difference to their future. Foster carers often say that their whole family has gained from the foster care experience.

Foster care can also bring new challenges and isn’t always easy work. Coming from troubled backgrounds, the children may have emotional problems and can at times display behaviours which are difficult or unexpected. Some children may be behind in certain areas of their development and can therefore struggle to cope with social relationships or in school.

So if you think you could offer the kind of home to troubled children that could make a difference to their lives then get in touch with us.		  
     
The Different Kinds of Foster Care
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  Respite Foster Care  
  For children who need short, regular weekend and holiday breaks from their regular home situation. This needs foster carers who can make a commitment to one or two children for as long as the respite is seen to be beneficial to the children.  
  Emergency Foster Care  
  For children who need to be removed from their home at short notice, often because they are at risk of harm. This needs foster carers who are able to be available at short notice and who can take a child with sometimes limited information.
  
  Short Term Foster Care  
  For children who need a placement for a short time, often where the task is to assess their longer term care needs. This needs foster carers who can be flexible about an open ended time commitment to children and who can contribute to the future planning for those children.  
  Long Term Foster Care  
  For children who need a clearly defined period of time in foster care where there are well defined task identified for the foster carers. This needs foster carers who can work well with an agreed plan for a child over a long period if time.  
  Permanent Foster Care  
  For children where a decision has been made that they cannot return home to their birth family but where adoption is not seen as the appropriate course of action. This needs foster carers to make a lifelong commitment to a child where different legal options are available to secure the child future but where ongoing support and advice from social workers will be necessary.  
     
What is the Process to be approved as a Foster Carer?
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  Initial Enquiry  
  Contact us by phone, in writing or by e-mail to make an initial inquiry about fostering. We will send you the relevant information. If you wish to proceed with your interest, you should complete and return the enclosed form so that we can arrange for a social worker to visit you in your home.  
  Initial Home Visit  
  The social worker will be able to tell you more about foster care, the preparation and assessment process and the checks we need to carry out to assess your suitability. You should be as honest as possible with us at this point so that we can be clear with you about what the challenges will be. You will also hear about the kinds of children who need foster homes and we will ask you about your motivation and expectations regarding foster care.  
  Preparation Groups  
  If we feel that you have the potential to offer a child a safe and loving home you will be invited to attend the next available preparation group course. Attending these groups will allow you to find out about foster care in more detail, and do some very important thinking about making a commitment to the care of vulnerable children. Our job is to give you a lot of information about foster care, including the sorts of children available. You have a crucial role to play at this time. You are given a chance to take a very honest look at what you want out of foster care and what you can offer children (many of whom may be very needy and challenging). You will have time to think about all the important issues:  
 
  • What are the needs of a fostered child?
  • What are your strengths and weaknesses as an foster parent?
  • Can you make the sort of commitment that will really make a difference to a child’s life?
  
  The Homestudy  
  When you have completed the preparation group programme you are then asked to consider whether you wish to formally apply to be assessed as a prospective foster carer. You will be allocated a social worker to begin the homestudy process. It is at this stage that we formally begin to assess your suitability to foster by building up a thorough profile of you. The social worker will make several visits to your home to see you together (if you are a couple) and individually and ask you detailed questions about your own family background, your childhood and your present circumstances..

You will also have a full medical examination with your own GP.

The home study is demanding, will address personal issues and will take several months to complete. Because we ask families to make such an important commitment to children, the agency must be sure you are right for the role. Just as importantly, you must be certain you can make a success of it.

At the end of the homestudy, you and the social worker will work together to produce a home study report. The report includes a detailed assessment of you as a potential foster carer, information about your health, Disclosure Scotland and local authority checks and your personal references. A key part of the report will focus upon your strengths as a family and the kind of child or children you feel you could foster. Could you, for example, look after a child with a physical or learning difficulty? What age range would you consider? And how many children would you consider?		  
  The Foster Care Panel  
  The home study report goes forward to the Agency’s Foster Care Panel. This panel is made up of social workers, other professionals and independent people. You will attend the panel along with your worker to answer any questions from panel members. Once they have considered the report, the panel will recommend whether or not you should be approved as a foster carer. Remember, 94% of people who reach this stage are approved.

Based on the panel’s recommendation, the agency decision maker will then decide whether or not to approve you. Normally, you will be notified of the decision within a week of the panel.		  
  On Approval  
  St. Andrew’s Children’s Society will begin to look for suitable children to place with you. St. Andrew’s Children’s Society places children with foster care families on behalf of local authorities throughout the Scotland  
  Placement of a Child  
  Once a child or children have been identified as possibly suitable for you, you will be given all the information that is available about the child’s or children’s background. If you want to proceed and social workers feel it is a good match arrangements will be made for the child or children to be placed. Sometimes this can be planned in advance but often the need for placement is much more urgent and you might not have very much time to plan for the arrival of the child or children. The child or children will come to live with you and become part of your family for as long as they need you to care for them. This could be for a few days or several months.

Remember, you are not on your own — St. Andrew’s Children’s Society will offer you support and advice throughout the period of the placement. Every foster carer has their own social worker. Local authorities retain legal responsibility for children who are in foster care and the child will also have his or her own social worker. Training opportunities are available and you get the chance to meet up with other foster carers.

Foster carers receive a weekly fostering allowance to cover the cost of maintaining the child. A fostering fee is also paid to foster carers in recognition of the service they are providing.

There is no such thing as a typical foster carer. Though they have a very important role, ordinary people foster and no particular qualifications are required. What they do have in common is a genuine interest in children and the time and energy to commit to them.		  
There are children waiting now to be placed with new foster care families. 
For more information or to make an initial enquiry, which will be totally confidential, please call us or e-mail us.
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