Providing a safe space for a child in care who cannot stay with their family can be a gift, particularly over the festive period.
Often seen as a time when families come together, this is not the case for everyone and Warwickshire’s children and young people need a safe place to stay while they cannot be with their family.
Warwickshire County Council is in urgent need of emergency foster carers to provide a safe space for a night or weekend to children and young people who cannot stay with their family. They provide emergency cover, outside of office hours, at short notice for children and young people who may be experiencing difficulties at home.
A Warwickshire foster carer, said:
“The best part about being an Emergency Duty foster carer is seeing children leave the house with a smile on their face after they have arrived with trepidation”.
“I would say the main responsibility of an Emergency Duty foster carer is to welcome a child into your home, helping them to settle and give them reassurance that in time their lives could change for the better”.
“You need to be caring and nurturing and recognise that children may exhibit the most challenging behaviours during what is possibly the most traumatic time in their young lives, but there is always support and training to help you. The rota gives you two weeks on, two weeks off and we find that helps us to recharge our batteries.”
Often the first point of contact in a crisis, emergency foster carers work on a rota basis, accommodating young people (from babies up to age 18) at immediate notice between the hours of 5.30pm and 9 am and caring for the child until 12pm the following day when on the duty rota. The rota works on a two week on, two weeks off basis, enabling carers to make a regular short-term commitment to fostering, whilst having time for themselves and their family when not on duty.
Councillor Sue Markham, portfolio holder for Children and Families, said:
“Our emergency foster carers play an incredible role supporting our children and young people. At times when a young person needs to spend time away from their family, this can be unsettling for them, and the emergency duty carers offer a calm, safe and warm environment for the night or weekend, helping that young person to get them out of a crisis”.
“We are urgently asking anyone considering fostering to have a chat and think about emergency foster care as an option for them. We offer support to all our foster carers including a dedicated social worker, specialist training, support from the Emergency Duty team and opportunities for peer support and networking.
“You are never alone when you foster with Warwickshire.”
To find out more about fostering with Warwickshire County Council, visit warwickshire.gov.uk/fostering or call 0800 408 1556.