On average, we pay our foster carers £453 per week which can increase to £681 per week.
Our friendly fostering team are here to chat through any concerns and questions.
Differences vs similarities
Fostering a teenager in many ways is the same as fostering a child of any age: everyone needs care, nurturing and guidance. We know that teenagers love to feel independent and will be wanting to forge their own path in life, they are still in need of a guardian(s) who will care for them and provide a loving home.
There are also some experiences which are new to teenagers:
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Teenagers will experience changes to their school commitments, such as examinations, applying for college/university or jobs, and making decisions about their future.
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They will experience puberty, which results in changes to mood, appearance and their relationships, all of which will be new to them.
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If this is a teenager’s first time in care, they may find it difficult to adjust at first to another change on top of their everyday routine.
Having the stability of a caring home can make a world of difference here!
Thinking about fostering a teenager?
At Fostering Rotherham, we believe that children and young people in Rotherham should grow up with the right support to make sure they’re healthy, safe, and able to achieve their potential in life. Our teenagers in care are an important part of our fostering family and need a loving home as much as any young person.
There are some misconceptions and often negative stereotypes about young people in care. In reality, fostering a teenager is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have! You can support a young person through a monumental period of their life. Whether it’s jobs, studying, or friendships, a young person needs a caring adult to champion them and help them achieve their goals.
If you are thinking about welcoming a foster teenager to your home, we have the training and support to help you. Book a call back today with our friendly and experienced team here, and let’s change a teenager’s life together.
"The thing I appreciate about my carers is that they are so supportive and push me to achieve [and to be] my best self I can be."
- Claire*, Teenager in care
"Everyday is memorable. Bob and Dawn have made my time in care with them special. They have taught me pretty much everything I know."
- Kelly*, Teenager in care
Support for teenagers
The support for teenagers through Fostering Rotherham centres around helping them through their academic and working careers, as well as entering independent living.
Your supervising social worker (SSW) and Child’s Social Worker (CSW) along with the Virtual School all provide support for young people in care to go onto further education and employment.
Virtual School supports teenagers in care with their post-16 journey, as they apply for further education, apprenticeships and employment. They provide personal advisors and extra financial support for teenagers to remove barriers to learning and development.
To find out more about focused support for teenagers in care, get in touch with us today.
Support for foster carers
We offer an abundance of financial support for our foster carers, dependent on their experience, circumstances and their foster children’s age, including specific support for fostering teenagers. This includes our Staying Put Arrangement for young people aged 18 and over, to help support you if they choose to stay with you into adulthood.
To find out more about what financial support is available to you as a foster carer for teens, please read our financial guide.
We also offer support groups for our foster carers during the daytime and evenings, including our walking group. These groups are opportunities for foster carers to socialise with each other, share advice and make new friends in the fostering community.
To find out more about our support groups, please visit our support page and download our fostering information guide.
"Foster care has changed my life entirely," in the words of our foster teen Kelly*. She talked to us about her experience with foster parents Bob and Dawn*:
"I appreciate them the most, I don’t know what I would do without them, even though we aren’t blood-related they are my family no matter what and they are the only people that have made me realise that I’m not just a teenager in care, but that I can make a difference and I can be the one to make a change no matter what others say."
- Kelly*, Teenager in care
Could you be the one to make a teenager in care say this about you?
If so, book a call back with our team today and find out how you can change a teenager’s life.