Local authorities define children and young people’s needs and behaviour as either core, enhanced or complex.
At Footprints, we tailor all fostering placements to meet the unique needs of each child or young person. These needs often vary in complexity.
Core placements are designed for children and young people with relatively low-level needs. These may include children who have experienced mild emotional distress or disruptions in their early lives but require stability and nurturing to thrive. Foster carers in core placements focus on providing:
• Routine and structure
• Emotional support to build trust and resilience
• A safe and secure home environment
These placements typically suit foster carers who are new to fostering or those who want to provide care without significant additional challenges.
Enhanced placements cater to children with more complex needs, such as moderate behavioral, emotional, or educational difficulties. These children may have experienced significant trauma or disruptions, requiring foster carers to have additional skills or experience. Enhanced placements involve:
• A focus on therapeutic support
• Collaboration with schools, therapists, and social workers
• Strategies to manage behaviors and support emotional healing
Foster carers in enhanced placements receive additional training and a higher fostering allowance to reflect the increased demands of these placements.
Complex placements involve children and young people with significant needs, such as severe behavioral challenges, mental health conditions or disabilities. These placements may also include sibling groups or children requiring intensive therapeutic interventions. Carers for complex placements must:
• Have extensive experience or specialised training
• Work closely with multidisciplinary teams, including healthcare professionals and counselors
• Provide intensive care, patience, and understanding
Complex placements come with enhanced support from our team and higher allowances to ensure foster carers can focus on meeting the needs of these vulnerable children.
At Footprints, foster carers across all placement levels receive comprehensive training tailored to the placement type, 24/7 support and guidance and competitive fostering allowances reflecting the level of care required.
To find out more, contact our expert team.
Footprints Foster Care Ltd
Registered Company No 07879639
Longham Business Park
168 Ringwood Road
Ferndown
Dorset BH22 9BU
Please do not be anxious about contacting us
– we promise not to put you under any pressure. We are happy to answer your questions and we need to ask questions to make sure that you meet some basic criteria, such as do you have a spare bedroom and live in the right area?
Assuming that these basic criteria are met and you are happy to proceed, we will arrange to come and meet you at your home.
The home visit usually lasts 1-2 hours and gives both parties the chance to ask lots of questions. We find out more about you and you find out more about us and what we can offer. If everyone is happy to proceed you will be given an application form to complete.
If however, having found out more about fostering, you decide that you do not wish to proceed, then do not feel embarrassed to say so. We will also be honest and let you know if we do not feel it is in your interests to proceed.
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If you decide to proceed, you will complete an application form and go into the assessment process. This can take between 3–6 months and is undertaken by a qualified social worker.
It is a thorough process and one which helps people understand what has shaped their lives, prepares them for the challenge of fostering and determines their motivation to foster. As part of this process, we will also undertake statutory checks and personal references, including police checks, personal and employment references and medicals.
The social worker will also meet with your personal referees, members of your household and any adult children you have living away from home to ensure they fully support your intentions to foster.
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During the assessment period, you will have the opportunity to attend the Skills to Foster™ course that provides the foundation for future learning and development, as well as giving you the confidence to undertake your first placement.
You will also be required to complete a portfolio of evidence to support your assessment.
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After stage 3 has been completed, your assessment and portfolio will be presented to a Fostering Panel. The panel is made of experienced social work practitioners and independent members, who will have carefully considered the report in advance of the panel.
You and your assessor will both attend the fostering panel to enable panel members to meet you, address any points for clarification and hear any final questions you may have.
If the panel is satisfied the requirements regarding your suitability to foster are met, they will make a recommendation to approve you as a foster carer.
The ultimate decision to approve lies with the agency decision maker, who will carefully consider the recommendation made by the fostering panel.
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