Newport foster carers needed for Newport children
Posted on Tuesday 4th December 2018
Newport City Council wants to recruit more foster carers to look after children from the city who need a safe and secure home.
Its expert foster team can provide professional support and training for people not only before they start fostering but while they are caring
A fostering officer is assigned to each carer and each child has their .own social worker.
Carers are required for the following:
- temporary fostering, from an overnight stay to a few months
- permanent fostering
- respite care for families needing a regular or one off break
Councillor Paul Cockeram, Newport City Council’s cabinet member for social services, said: “We want our carers for our children. As a council we work hand in hand with our carers to ensure they are given continuous support and training before and after they become foster carers.
“We know there are many people out there who would make brilliant foster carers and could make a real difference in a child’s life. I would urge them to get in touch with our team so they can guide you through the process.”
People may be interested in fostering but don’t take it further because they believe they will not meet the criteria.
Here are the answers to some common questions and dispel some myths
Do I need a spare room? Yes.
Can you work and be a foster carer? Yes
Do you need to own your own home? No, you can be in rented accommodation.
Can you foster if you have your own children? Yes, fostering can be a whole family affair.
I’m too old/too young to foster. There is no minimum or maximum age limit, your ability to foster is dependent on your health and other checks that are undertaken as part of the assessment process.
Can I be a single carer? All kinds of people foster as either single carers or as a couple.
We’re in a same sex relationship so wouldn’t be considered. Same sex couples can be foster carers.
Do the children stay with you forever? We need all types of foster carers, some children will need a family until they reach independence or some children will need some-one to care for a shorter time and then move on.
We have pets so would that be an issue? You can have pets and be considered as a foster carer as they would be included in the assessment process.
I’m not sure who to approach about fostering. Every Welsh council has a fostering service and every local authority, like Newport, needs foster carers to care for their own children. We work hand in hand as a team to care for our children with our foster carers.
To foster for Newport City Council visit www.newport.gov.uk/fostering or call 01633 210272 to find out more.