Fostering- Expect a great deal of
very hard work!

First of all you need to be trained so you will be asked to go on a course. This is usually a Residential course, which takes place over a long weekend.

You also need to have a full assessment made of you and your family so that we at Five Rivers are satisfied that you are right for the job and have a good understanding of the fostering task.

The Five Rivers Family Placement Service works in a way that keeps the child's needs as a priority all the way through our work so that once you have been trained and your assessment is ready, we will only place a child with you if it is felt that you are right for that specific child. Once a child has been placed with you, you can expect to be surprised, if you have never fostered before.

Although you thought that you had understood everything you learned about in the training, the reality of being a foster carer is very different from the theory! However, there are other things that you can expect.

You will get a support group with other carers who are great to talk to and share problems with. You receive regular and high quality training. You receive regular support and supervision from a qualified social worker who is designated to you.

Foster Carers at Five Rivers are regarded as professionals in their integrity, level of skills, commitment and their philosophy of providing "alternative family" care for children/young people.

Five Rivers operates on the principle that Foster Carers are our colleagues and fellow professionals working in the field of child care, and as such remunerate them accordingly. Five Rivers also shares all the information that it has so that they can be professional and informed in their decision making.

The philosophy of Fostering is encapsulated in the phrase "Professional Child Care from a Home Base" and our high expectations of Foster Carers are accordingly the same as for all professionals involved in childcare. This expectation extends across all areas of work including childcare practices, report writing and attendance at meetings.