This role will see you provide specialised care for a child, likely 11+, with complex emotional, behavioural, or developmental needs who has been living in residential care.
With the right care, your home will become a temporary home for a child, allowing them to move back into a long-term family setting, either with another foster carer or a member of the child’s birth family/extended network – allowing them to be brought closer to their home, community and cultural identity in a safe and supported way.
Carers will be able to work full-time or part-time (sharing responsibilities with another carer).
Patient. Understanding. Empathetic. Resilient.
If this sounds like you, we know you have what it takes to take on the challenging and rewarding role of a Reconnections Foster Carer.
Ready for a new challenge? Find out more about the role.
Image
Image
Image
The role
Role requirements
To be eligible for this role, you must:
- Have significant formal childcare experience (e.g. 3 years’ fostering experience or employment in children’s residential provision, education settings, family support work, social worker, police, youth services/ justice, third sector provision and health)
- Not have any other employment
- Be 21 years old or over
- Have a spare bedroom for the young person
- Be resilient, patient, and have the ability to build connections with young people who may have exceptional needs and experienced trauma
- Be experienced in a trauma-informed approach to working with young people
- Be comfortable working closely as a team with the young person and wraparound support services. These will include therapeutic services, education provision, Youth Justice services and any other service working with the child
- Be able to provide support care plans to the young person
- Be able to provide aftercare to support the young person once they've left your care
- Appreciate the impact of separation and loss of family networks for young people look after
- Demonstrate an understanding of the care system experience and the ability to support young people through a trauma-focused approach
- Enable and support young people to progress and adapt to living within a family setting
Support and training
Reconnections Foster Carers will receive a fee of up to £67,000 per annum for full time carers (£10,000 subject to tax), consisting of £1,300 per week.
Alongside this, we will support you through:
- Specialist training will be provided to help you gain knowledge and skills to work with and support young people through their recovery from trauma.
- Opportunities to shadow professionals in residential children's homes to better understand the models of work will be provided
- A bespoke support package for each young person and carer (including 24/7 support where needed)
- Individual and joint counselling for you and the young person
- Regular support from Specialist Supervising Social Workers and dedicated outreach workers
- Group and Peer support for Reconnections foster carers.
- Respite provision where needed, as agreed as part of the young person's plan
Register your interest in becoming a Reconnections Foster Carer
Interested in becoming a Reconnections Foster Carer? Email foster4leeds@leeds.gov.uk or call 0113 378 3538 to speak to a member of our team and receive more information.
Image
