Life in Salford 28 • March 2020 25
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You’re part of the family too Ask any Salford foster carer what the best things are about fostering for Salford and they’ll say they amazing support they get – as well as the children, of course. Caring for vulnerable children and teenagers is incredibly rewarding but sometimes you may need a little bit of help or advice. That’s why there’s a network of support for Salford City Council foster carers to call on as well as chances to make new friends. Foster carers say it’s like being part of a big family. Every foster carer has a supervising social worker from the start and, once approved to foster, is buddied with an experienced foster carer. The same social worker will usually support you after approval and you’ll meet every four to eight weeks depending on the type of placement you’ve chosen. In between the ‘official’ meetings the social worker will stay in close and regular contact with you to build up a positive and supportive relationship. That means any questions or concerns can be quickly raised and dealt with. In addition foster carers know they can contact their social worker at any time or turn to the duty social worker or out of hours support service. That means help is available all year round, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Foster carers are also backed up by a network of health and other professionals and your social worker will make sure you know how and where to get advice and support if you need it. We back all this up with regular training opportunities to help foster carers develop and enhance their skills. All feedback is used to update and adapt training so we’re covering the latest issues that children and young people face today. It’s not all work and no fun though. There are plenty of opportunities for foster carers to meet each other and make new friends. There’s a day time fostering group which meets every other month where carers can chat over coffee and cake as well as men’s and women’s bimonthly groups. Many foster carers have made good friends through these groups and meet up regularly. It’s a great opportunity for foster children to make new friends too. Focus foster carers, who care for children aged five to 18 with more complex needs, have their own specialist group which meets fortnightly, as well as all the support listed above.
Interested in fostering? Visit www.salford.gov.uk/fostering or call 0161 799 1268 for a chat.
