What is “Transitional” fostering?
Our Local Authority partners are seeing unprecedented levels of children and young people coming into care, and there are just not enough foster carers to look after them. Many children end up in residential arrangements on a temporary basis whilst the Local Authority search for the right family for them to live with.
“Transitional” fostering is a specialist type of fostering, designed to assist the Local Authority to find short term places to stay for young people and give them some time to assess the young person’s needs and search for a longer-term home for them.
How is it different to “Emergency” or “Crash Bed” fostering?
It is similar to Crash Bed fostering, in that you look after a child for a defined period, however, with Crash Bed, you are retained by one single Local Authority and obliged to accept whatever placement is required. With Transitional Fostering, you are not retained, so you can work for multiple Local Authorities and you not obliged to accept placements that are offered. There is a more in-depth matching process undertaken and placements can be more in line with a foster carer’s preferences, much like standard fostering. However, compared with standard fostering, the types of children and young people in Transitional Fostering are likely to be more complex for various reasons, where the Local Authority needs more time to match with a family.
With Transitional Fostering, you are expected to commit to looking after a child for a 6 week period and to be available to foster for at least 30 weeks of the year. There is also a requirement to cover at least 7 weeks of the school holidays.
Emergency fostering is not time limited, it could last for two nights, or could last into weeks, months and sometimes years.
How are children matched with “Transitional” foster carers?
Matching is conducted in much the same way that we match with standard foster carers, we will look at what suits your circumstances, your skills, your location and a variety of other factors.
You will be expected to accept a broad range of ages, i.e., 0 or 5 to 18 (5 if you are a smoker) because of the variety of placements needed, but the types of young people looked after under Transitional Fostering tend to be older children.
What if I want to go on holiday and I’m not available to accept a placement?
As a Transitional Foster Carer, you are free to take time out between placements if you wish, subject, as mentioned above, to offering a minimum 30 weeks fostering per year.
Is the fostering allowance different for “Transitional” foster carers?
Yes, because you are expected to look after more complex cases, but the Transitional Fostering fee is £700 per week per child, with significant tax allowances meaning you will pay little or no tax at all.
Is the initial assessment process different to standard fostering?
No, this is one aspect that does not change. Every foster carer must go through the same assessment process, regardless of the type of fostering they do.
Will I receive training?
Yes, you will receive the same basic training that every foster carer receives, but from then on, you will receive training that is more targeted to “Transitional” fostering. You will be expected to attend several face-to-face training sessions per year, as well as several online courses and self-directed learning as identified through supervision with your Supervising Social Worker.
Can anyone be a “Transitional” foster carer?
Yes, they can, subject to the normal fostering regulations, however, this type of foster care would be more suited to couples and individuals that don’t have young children living with them. It would also suit experienced foster carers who are looking for a more flexible fostering role.
If you would like to find out more about becoming a “Transitional” foster carer, we’d love to hear from you. Call us on 01440 732010 or email us at [email protected].