Use your existing skills to help children in Rotherham live happy and fulfilled lives.
Round the clock support, 14 days annual leave plus an amazing local community.
As a previous children’s workforce professional, you will know how your work has a direct positive impact on the life of a child. If you would like to feel valued and be rewarded for your skills and experience in a new way, Fostering Rotherham is here to help you become a foster carer for Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council.
Having more Fostering Rotherham carers means more children can grow up to achieve their potential in life - we can’t do this on our own.
We want you to foster because…
-
You have looked after children before!
-
You understand children and have been working with them a long time
-
You can help a child by advocating on their behalf and sharing their views with the professional supporting them.
-
You have already worked with a wide range of people with differing needs and understand that everyone has good days and bad days
-
You will understand the progress children are capable of with support from adults
-
You have the opportunity to step in and make a real impact on a specific child’s life
-
You share the same values as our team - we all entered our roles to improve the lives of children and teach them about the world we live in
“Making the decision to change my career and become a foster carer is the most rewarding thing I have ever done.”
- Natalie, Foster Carer (Former Nurse)
As a foster carer with Fostering Rotherham, you will have:
Ongoing training to help you feel prepared
We provide extensive training and support to help you care for the different needs of children and young people. After your initial Skills To Foster training, our carers can take part in regular CPD opportunities including first aid; Black Lives Matter, safer care and equality and diversity, we also have additional support/training linked to our mapping tool for therapeutic re-parenting, so that social workers can help map out what additional therapeutic training you may need to enable you to provide a therapeutic environment for a child. You can then access lots of additional training run by our very own in house therapeutic team.
Better work-life balance
Fostering takes place in your own home, so you can spend more time living and less time commuting, while still making a direct difference in your local community. Many of our foster carers also find they have more free time during ‘sociable hours’ than in their previous roles.
How your current skills can help you become a foster carer
-
You will already have the empathy to care for people in different life situations.
-
You will understand how to identify the root cause of an issue, and how this may identify itself through various symptoms.
-
You already have many of the qualifications and essential skills we look for in a foster carer.
-
You will have an appetite to learn more about foster care and how you can directly help a child in the Rotherham area.
-
You may already hold a DBS certificate and other relevant certifications.
-
You may have experience working with a variety of organisations to support an individual, such as schools, police, birth families, medical teams and Social Workers.
-
You will understand the importance of safeguarding and protecting vulnerable children and adults.
-
You will understand the importance of regulations when working with children and young people, and how to submit any paperwork required for the benefit of the child.
-
You may have experience working with children or adults with additional or challenging needs or behaviours, and will understand the different ways to respond to these.
Over 80% of our foster carers would recommend fostering with Fostering Rotherham to their friends
What support will I receive to become a foster carer?
From the first enquiry, through to assessment, approval and beyond, our dedicated team will be there to support you every step of the way on your pathway to fostering. Our vast experienced team have worked in social work for a total of 211 years and work as a combined team, so even difficult questions are often answered quickly and confidently by your dedicated social worker.
If you feel you need advice or you’re struggling, your social worker, the wider team and our large fostering community of carers are there to help you.
Clear progression pathways
All new carers will receive a personal development plan (PDP) to identify strengths and areas for growth. As your skills develop, you will have opportunities to progress to a higher skill level, if you wish to, which means you can care for a wider range of children’s needs and will receive an increased fostering fee in recognition of your knowledge.