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Are you looking for a career like no other? Mother and baby fostering might be just that. If you want to give back to your local community by helping those who are most vulnerable, then this type of foster care may be highly suited to you. While the most common type of foster care involves looking after a child for a period of months or years, parent and child fostering is unique in that it consists of fostering a parent and their little one. This is most commonly a mother and their child, hence where the name mother and baby fostering comes from!
This type of care is excellent for those who are caring and patient and want to have a substantial positive impact on other people’s lives. That being said, it is also a more challenging task than the usual kind of foster care. This is because a parent and child foster carer’s role is twofold. Firstly, they must ensure the baby or toddler is receiving proper care, support and affection. Secondly, they must assist in observing, guiding, and supporting the young parent to carry out their parental duties.
However, with twice the responsibility comes twice the reward, and our parent and child foster carers report feeling hugely satisfied with their role and the personal rewards it offers when they have successfully managed to help keep a family together - shaping a better life for the future for both the baby and the family as a whole!
This type of care is temporary and is usually carried out for a period of 12 weeks. During this time, foster carers must work with a broader team of social work professionals to carry out an assessment of the parent’s skills and suitability as a caregiver. Carrying out a proper evaluation like this requires the carer to have fantastic observation and record-keeping skills in addition to having the ability to provide patient and nurturing support to the parent. In addition, they may need your help with more than just caring for the baby and will need advice on general life skills that come with having a family, such as cooking and cleaning, budgeting, shopping, and much more!
We recognise that this is a highly demanding role, and that’s why we provide complete and in-depth training for all foster carers who wish to specialise in this type of foster care. Our team of experts will ensure you are fully supported and confident in your knowledge of the role and the skills required for it. That being said, we are also always on hand to offer further advice and support throughout your placement, should you need it.
In terms of mother and baby fostering allowances, the average foster payment per week for this type of role is around £700. When considered alongside the various tax relief schemes that foster carers are subject to, this role offers an excellent salary that is highly competitive.
If you’d like to learn more about the role and whether you are suitable to apply, then please get in touch with a member of our team who will happily answer any questions you may have. You can reach us by calling 03300 948816, sending an email to info@familyfosteringpartners.co.uk, or selecting one of the options from our list here.
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