Young people living with foster families in England often move out to live independently when they are 18. Under Staying Put, young people have the chance to stay with their foster families up to the age of 25 instead. This provides stability and support at a crucial stage in young people’s lives and gives them a wider range of opportunities, such as going to university. With many students currently finishing their degrees, we spoke to Kanyin, a 21-year-old young person who lives with a St Christopher’s foster family. Kanyin is about to graduate from Coventry University, so she shared her experiences of how Staying Put with her foster family supported her to complete her degree and deal with the pandemic. How long have you lived with your foster family?
For ten years, since I was 11 years old. How would you describe your relationship with your foster carer? I see her as my second mum. I can talk to her about anything and I feel very comfortable with her. It’s always been easy to go to her as she’s so supportive. How would you summarise Staying Put? Staying Put is the chance for a young person to still focus on yourself, have time to enjoy being young and to do what you really want to do. It’s instead of getting pushed into the real world too early. I feel like I’ve been lucky in that sense – I can do things like go on holiday with my friends without worrying about bills and money. For foster carers, Staying Put is a chance for them to keep supporting a young person until they’re ready for adulthood. To me it’s basically an extension of what the whole fostering system is. Did you always know you were going to be Staying Put? Yeah, I did always know – me and my carer and my social worker had the conversation and agreed that Staying Put was the best option. I didn’t feel comfortable to leave yet. What difference did it make being able to stay in fostering after you turned 18? I felt less stressed out. I never had to think about extra bills apart from my uni ones, which I covered through student loans and my job. And it means I could go home during university holidays instead of being by myself and feeling lonely. As a care leaver if you want to move out from your foster family AND go to university, you could have to stay in the place you’re from – otherwise you can end up paying two sets of rent, which isn’t manageable. It’s not right for a young person to face so much pressure. All that stress can make young people in care not want to go to university. And sometimes young people and their foster carers don’t have the option for them to Stay Put, so young people have to decide between going to university or working full-time. What support has been available for you to go to university? On my course I was given a laptop, this was really good financially as it could be a struggle to pay for this otherwise. My local authority provided some funding when I started university to cover rent for my uni accommodation during the holidays. My personal advisor helped to split the money in a way that best supported my needs. How has the pandemic been for you as a university student? The pandemic has been a bit stressful. Everything I thought was going to happen did not happen! I decided to live alone for third year so I was assuming a lot of my socialising would be outside of my accommodation, but then we weren’t allowed to meet up with people. Living on my own was very lonely and boring, especially once face-to-face lectures stopped. I feel worse for the people who started uni for the first time in the pandemic – at least I knew what it was like to have a “proper” experience for the first couple of years! Coming back home to London towards the end of my course was better because I didn’t feel lonely. I knew there were always other people in the house that I could spend time with. How has your foster family helped you during the pandemic? It was good to still able to talk to them and have them supporting me. Moving back home made life a lot easier as I was able to have proper interactions with people after living alone – although it was an adjustment from living independently and doing what I want, to going back living with my family! What needs to change about the care system? Everyone is different but I feel they should provide more support to care leavers. There needs to be teaching on how to budget and not just pushing someone out to be independent. Thank you Kanyin for sharing your experiences! If you would like to learn more about becoming a foster carer, click the button below to get in touch with us. Source: www.stchris.org.uk Barnardo’s research has uncovered the extent of unsafe, unsuitable and unhealthy accommodation offered to vulnerable young people when they leave care. The experiences of young people leaving the care system for Barnardo’s No Place Like Home report, funded by IKEA and published today (Tuesday 25 May), paint a grim picture of mouldy housing and shared accommodation where there is antisocial behaviour and drug and alcohol problems. They are in stark contrast to the safety net of parental support most young people enjoy, even after they leave the family home, according to a new online poll of 2,000 adults by YouGov for the leading children’s charity. Of people who have ever moved out of their family home, only one in five (21%) said they received no support at all from them when they first moved out of the family home to live independently. More than 7 in 10 (71%) of 25-34-year-olds who have ever moved out of their family home said they received a lot or a fair amount of support from their parents when they first moved out of the family home to live independently, with 63% saying the support they received helped them to cope with living independently and nearly half (47%) saying they would have struggled to live independently without it. Every year, around 10,000 young people in England aged 16-18 leave local authority care. Barnardo’s found that their experience is often frightening, with some fearing for their safety and living in very poor-quality accommodation – while having to manage alone without family support. The average age for leaving home in England is 23 and people often still receive some support from their parents when they start to live independently. Yet young people who have been in the care system leave at 18 or even younger, meaning many are expected to manage alone before they feel ready. As part of Barnardo’s research project, the charity interviewed 23 care leavers about their experiences, funded by the charity’s corporate partner IKEA. An overwhelming proportion reported that they had had little or no choice about where they moved after leaving care, many found the whole process of finding somewhere to live and moving in to be ‘scary’ and did not feel ready to live independently, saying they had not been prepared with the practical skills needed. The YouGov polling by Barnardo’s revealed that just over 4 in 10 (42%) of 25-34-year-olds who have ever moved out of their family home moved back into their parents’ homes at least once after they’d moved out to live independently. But young people leaving care do not have this option. Many said they felt unsafe in the accommodation they were given, sharing with people with drug and alcohol problems, and ended up on the street or sofa-surfing. One young female care leaver specifically requested not to be in shared accommodation with men, but found herself placed in a property with four older men who hung around the corridors at night. She said: “It really scared me. I locked myself in my room and found it really intimidating going to the bathroom at night.” Another said: “Looking back on it, I now realise how impressionable young people who have had a difficult life are. Someone like me who never did drugs or drink can go into a place and all of that changes.” The interviews revealed that accommodation offered to young people is often of very poor quality with problems like mould and damp. Tasha Clegg moved into her own flat when she left care at the age of 17. She said: “I was excited to have left care and move into my own place. The first day was a massive weight lifted off my shoulders. But I didn’t realise the faults – I wish I had some support when I viewed the property as it wasn’t until later I realised the extent of the mould and damp. “I started feeling unwell all the time – headaches, colds and chest infections. I went to the doctors six times with what was thought to be chest infections. One December I could barely breathe. I could barely walk – it was a huge effort to get up in the waiting room to walk to the doctor’s room. “They thought it was a blood clot on my lung and I had to be rushed to hospital. I had lots of fluid on my lungs which were severely inflamed. It turned out that the mould and damp caused me to have developed lung disease. They did tests of the mould which showed extremely high levels of spores in my blood and further tests showed I had had a reaction the spores. I was in hospital for a week and my lungs have been left permanently scarred. I was on steroids for two years.” According to Barnardo’s YouGov poll, of those who grew up in their parent(s) home, more than a third (37%) received general advice, 30% had help to move home and 29% received emotional support when they first moved out. One in five (20%) got financial help to buy furniture or white goods like washing machines, fridges and microwaves and more than one in 10 had help to pay a deposit (13%) and help to pay rent (11%). The research project found that the costs of setting up a new home was a significant cause of worry and stress to young people leaving the care system, particularly when they moved into unfurnished flats. Care leavers explained that after struggling to meet the costs of living and upkeep of their property, there was often no money left over for travel on public transport to see friends and family. Care leavers have a right to secure accommodation under the Housing Act, but they lose this right if they are deemed ‘intentionally’ homeless. Yet one young person was made homeless as a result of fleeing domestic violence, and others moved out because of the anti-social behaviour of other residents in their semi-independent accommodation. In its No Place Like Home report, Barnardo’s is making several recommendations* to Government, including:
Barnardo’s Chief Executive Javed Khan said: "Many people grow up taking for granted that their parents and wider family will be there to support them well into adulthood. “But after a childhood spent moving between different schools, foster families and social workers, many young people leaving the care system enter adulthood without a strong support network, leaving them particularly vulnerable. “Having a safe and stable home is one of the most important factors in helping care leavers to recover from past trauma, gain qualifications and secure stable employment. Yet our research has demonstrated that care leavers are too often expected to live in conditions that are unsuitable and at worst unsafe. “Some care leavers have no choice but to share with people who have drug and alcohol problems, while others are placed in housing with mould and damp that severely affects their health. In the worst cases, the place they are expected to call ‘home’ feels so unsafe that they end up on the streets. “We wouldn’t accept this for our own children – so we should not accept it for the most vulnerable young people either. “The Government has a unique opportunity to improve the system for care leavers, through the Independent Review of Children's Social Care. We must also make it easier for young people to stay with their foster carers up to the age of 21; and when they do live independently, accommodation must be safe and appropriate to meet their needs.” Peter Jelkeby, Country Retail Manager and Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA UK & Ireland, said: "At IKEA, we want to have a positive impact on people and the planet. We have partnered with Barnardo's because we firmly believe that no matter what the circumstances, every child and young person deserves a place to call home and the best possible start in life. “For us, home is the most important place in the world. Over the past year, the pandemic has shone an intense spotlight on people’s four walls, as everyone adjusted to spending more time at home. However, not everyone is fortunate enough in considering their home a safe, comfortable space - as is often the case for young people leaving care. “Through this partnership, we aim to support some of the most vulnerable young people to learn independent living skills and to improve their lives at home. But we can't make meaningful change if the system doesn't evolve with the needs of care leavers. We are proud of having supported Barnardo's on this important piece of research, which will hopefully play a significant difference for the lives of young people leaving the care system as part of the Government's Review into Children's Social Care." Source: www.barnardos.org.uk St Christopher’s fostering teams were nominated for a prize at the Mind Of My Own VoxCon 2021 awards on Friday 21 May. Mind Of My Own is an app that allows young people to communicate with social workers and other professionals. They can give feedback on the service and support they have received, and advocate that their rights are respected. Our fostering teams were nominated for the ‘Greatest Usage’ category because of their work encouraging more young people to use the Mind Of My Own app to share their views and experiences. Within this category, St Christopher’s was the only fostering agency to be nominated. Despite not winning, the nomination still recognised the emphasis our teams place on listening to young people and acting on what they say, in alignment with our child-centred approach to participation. Winners were announced at an online awards ceremony that celebrated the creative ways nominees have supported children and young people to give their feedback. At last year’s awards, St Christopher’s won the category for ‘Most Creative Mind Of My Own Comms’ for a video designed by young people. In the video, young people explained how the app helped them to be heard by professionals. Congratulations to St Christopher’s fostering teams! You can learn more here about what it’s like to foster. Source: www.stchris.org.uk Location: Homebased Salary: 24,300 p.a + £750 p.a. Home Working Allowance + £3,613 pa (If living in a London Borough) Hours: 35 Hours Per Week Closing Date: 24/05/2021 Interview Date: 02/06/2021 TACT is the largest fostering charity of its kind in the country. Formed in 1993, we now have over 500 carers, who look after over 600 children and young people. Our reputation and growth can be attributed to our strength in providing strong, resilient long-term placements. As a charity, not a shareholder-led profit-making business, we achieve this by investing all of our surplus income into service, staff, carer, and children's development.
TACT is seeking to recruit a Welsh speaking Enquiry Officer who will be the face of TACT to people who make contact by phone or by email that are interested in fostering. As our Welsh speaking Enquiry Officer you will be our front line ambassador for our organisation. As the country’s largest charity of our kind, we need an individual with the right personal attributes to do justice to this. The successful candidate will have:
Not everyone has the right to foster or adopt and it will be down to you to skilfully manage initial discussions with empathy and insight to quickly ascertain suitability. Having done so, you will then take information using a conversational and reassuring approach. This will ensure you form accurate judgments about applicant suitability, and the applicants themselves feel well informed, impressed by the customer service experience, and enthusiastic to begin their assessments as TACT carers. We are a ‘not for profit’ organisation, putting the needs of our children and carers first and look to appoint individuals who are as passionate about this as we are. TACT is a homebased workforce. We recognise the benefits that flexible home working creates for both the employer and the employee. As a remote working organisation, we are committed to work with our staff to enable consistent inclusion and engagement across the organisation to ensure the optimum standards of service for our carers and children. TACT offers an excellent employee benefits package including:
Please see the Job Information Pack and Job Description for further information. Closing: Midnight - Monday, 24th May 2021 Interviews: Wednesday, 2nd June 2021 (via Microsoft Teams) Safeguarding is everyone’s business and TACT believe that only the people with the right skills and values should work in social work. As part of TACT’s commitment to safeguarding, we properly examine the skills, experience, qualifications and values of potential staff in relation to our work with vulnerable young children. We use rigorous and consistent recruitment approaches to help safeguard TACT’s young people. All our staff are expected to work in line with TACT’s safeguarding policies. TACT does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them. TACT reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so we advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment. Full details and application documents here Location: Homebased (covering South Coast area) Salary: £43,250 p.a. [£40,500 p.a. (Salary) + £1,500 p.a. (OOH allowance, upon starting on the rota) + £500 p.a. (Placement’s allowance, upon starting on the rota) + £750 p.a. (Homeworking allowance)] Closing Date: 25/05/2021 Interview Date: 03/06/2021 Hours: 35 hours per week Region to cover: South Coast (Hampshire, Poole, Dorset, Portsmouth areas)
TACT, the UK’s largest fostering charity now has over 500 dedicated carers, who look after over 600 children and young people across the country. Our reputation and growth rests upon our strength in providing successful placements. As a charity, we do not have shareholders who receive profits and we invest all of our surplus income into service, staff, carers, and children’s development. Our vision is to provide better lives for our children and young people. Find out more about our values here. We are looking for a dynamic and experienced fostering Social Worker Manager to lead the development of the South Coast team. This role will hold responsibility for supervision of staff and a small number of carers in this area and will support the Area Manager to further grow and develop this service. This post will cover the Hampshire, Poole, Dorset, Portsmouth areas. This is an excellent opportunity of career progression for and experienced Social Worker. The Homebased Fostering Deputy Area Manager must be Social Work England registered and have a BA, Masters or DipSW, CSS or CQSW qualification. An Enhanced DBS check is required for this post and will be undertaken by TACT on your behalf. Main requirements:
Working from Home TACT is a homebased workforce. We recognise the benefits that flexible home working creates for both the employer and the employee. You will be regularly required to attend meetings in the South Coast area. As a remote working organisation, we are committed to work with our staff to enable consistent inclusion and engagement across the organisation to ensure the optimum standards of service for our carers and children. TACT offer an excellent employee benefits package including:
Closing: Tuesday, 25th May 2021 Interviews: Thursday, 6th June 2021 (via Microsoft Teams) Safeguarding is everyone’s business and TACT believe that only the people with the right skills and values should work in social work. As part of TACT’s commitment to safeguarding, we properly examine the skills, experience, qualifications and values of potential staff in relation to our work with vulnerable young children. We use rigorous and consistent recruitment approaches to help safeguard TACT’s young people. All our staff are expected to work in line with TACT’s safeguarding policies. TACT does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them. TACT reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so we advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment. Full details and application documents Location: Homebased (Bristol) Salary: £33,561 p.a. (pro rata) + £1,500 Out of Hours Allowance p.a (pro rata) + £750 Home Working Allowance p.a (pro rata) Hours: 21 Hours Per Week Closing Date: 06/06/2021 Interview Date: 17/06/2021 One Year Fixed Term Contract - Maternity Cover
21 Hours Per Week - (Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday) TACT, the UK’s largest fostering charity now has over 500 dedicated carers, who look after over 600 children and young people across the country. Our reputation and growth rests upon our strength in providing successful placements. As a charity, we do not have shareholders who receive profits, and we invest all of our surplus income into service, staff, carers, and children’s development. Our vision is to provide better lives for our children and young people. Find out more about our values here. We are inviting applications from Social Workers located in the Bristol area who are interested in a Senior Supervising Social Worker role for whom quality of service is paramount and share our commitment to working in partnership with our children and foster carers. You would be joining a service rated “Outstanding” by Ofsted. As a ‘not for profit’ organisation, we put the needs of our children and carers first and look to appoint individuals who are as passionate about this as we are. As a Homebased Senior Supervising Social Worker, you will support and supervise the foster families and placements we have in Bristol, remotely and in person when it’s safe to do so. The successful candidate will also need to evidence flexibility and have the willingness to travel to other areas associated with the TACT Bristol region. TACT is a homebased workforce. We recognise the benefits that flexible home working creates for both the employer and the employee. As a remote working organisation, we are committed to work with our staff to enable consistent inclusion and engagement across the organisation to ensure the optimum standards of service for our carers and children and their foster carers in the development of our services. The ideal candidate for this Senior Supervising Social Worker role should have post qualifying experience in family placement work or other childcare settings as well as a good working knowledge of relevant legislation and child protection procedures. Main requirements:
TACT offer an excellent employee benefits package including:
You will need to be DipSW, CSS or CQSW qualified and registered with Social Work England. An enhanced DBS clearance is also required and will be processed by TACT on your behalf. The successful applicant will be required to support Duty and Out of Hours on a rota basis and will be paid an pro rata out of hours’ allowance of £1,500 per annum once participating in the rota. Closing: Midnight - Sunday, 6th June 2021 Interviews: Thursday, 17th June 2021 (via Microsoft Teams) Safeguarding is everyone’s business and TACT believe that only the people with the right skills and values should work in social work. As part of TACT’s commitment to safeguarding, we properly examine the skills, experience, qualifications and values of potential staff in relation to our work with vulnerable young children. We use rigorous and consistent recruitment approaches to help safeguard TACT’s young people. All our staff are expected to work in line with TACT’s safeguarding policies. TACT does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them. TACT reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so we advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment. Full details and application documents here Location: Fostering Chelmsford Contract Type: Zero Hours Salary: Salary £10.85 per hour Specific Hours: Variable hours Closing Date: 28 May 2021 About Us
Our vision is for every child and young person to be safe, loved and happy, to achieve their potential and have a bright future. St Christopher's is a leading charity for children and young people and we are proud of our history for providing fostering, children's homes and a range of innovative leaving care services across the UK & Isle of Man. We have a passionate commitment to our young people, placing them at the centre of everything we do. We provide positive life experiences for young people who are unable to sustain a placement in their parental or foster home. We are an equal opportunity employer and keen to develop an inclusive workforce were people feel they belong. We hope to attract application from under- represented groups including people from different cultures, nationalities, socio economic backgrounds, ages, disabilities, religion, faith, sex, orientation, child care responsibilities and with gender diverse identities. About the Role We are looking to recruit a Fostering Support Worker (Bank) working closely with the supervising social workers, local authorities and other professionals to support foster placements. The role will involve:
Applicants should have:
Recruitment Process At St Christopher’s we are committed to the safeguarding of all children and young people in our care. During the recruitment process you will be expected to complete an online application form to ensure we capture essential information to meet legislation, best practice and vetting requirements. Applicants will ideally already be on the DBS Update Service; if this is not the case St Christopher's will carry out a DBS (police) check prior to starting. Your online application must include a supporting statement addressing the criteria stated in the Person Specification. For the full Job Description for this role and more detail about what will be required, please click here. For more information or assistance during the application process, please contact recruitment@stchris.org.uk Closing Date: 28.05.21 Interview Date: 16.06.21 We advise to apply as soon as possible as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. St Christopher’s Fellowship has a minimum age requirement of 21 for roles working directly with children and young people in our residential and semi-independent Homes. Full details and application documents here Location: Homebased (East Midlands) Salary: £33,561 p.a + £1,500 Out of Hours Allowance p.a.+ £750 Home Working Allowance p.a. Closing Date: 06/06/2021 Interview Date: 17/06/2021 Hours: 35 Hours Per Week TACT, the UK’s largest fostering charity now has over 500 dedicated carers, who look after over 600 children and young people across the country. Our reputation and growth rests upon our strength in providing successful placements. As a charity, we do not have shareholders who receive profits, and we invest all of our surplus income into service, staff, carers, and children’s development.
Our vision is to provide better lives for our children and young people. Find out more about our values here. We are inviting applications from Social Workers located in Northamptonshire, Milton Keynes & West Bedfordshire who are interested in a Senior Supervising Social Worker role for whom quality of service is paramount and share our commitment to working in partnership with our children and foster carers. As a ‘not for profit’ organisation, we put the needs of our children and carers first and look to appoint individuals who are as passionate about this as we are. As a Homebased Senior Supervising Social Worker, you will support and supervise the foster families and placements we have in Northamptonshire, Milton Keynes and West Bedfordshire, remotely and in person when it’s safe to do so. The successful candidate will also need to evidence flexibility and have the willingness to travel to other areas associated with the TACT East Midlands region. TACT is a homebased workforce. We recognise the benefits that flexible home working creates for both the employer and the employee. As a remote working organisation, we are committed to work with our staff to enable consistent inclusion and engagement across the organisation to ensure the optimum standards of service for our carers and children and their foster carers in the development of our services. The ideal candidate for this Senior Supervising Social Worker role should have post qualifying experience in family placement work or other childcare settings as well as a good working knowledge of relevant legislation and child protection procedures. Main requirements:
TACT offer an excellent employee benefits package including:
Please see the Job Information Pack and Job Description for further information. You will need to be DipSW, CSS or CQSW qualified and registered with Social Work England. An enhanced DBS clearance is also required and will be processed by TACT on your behalf. The successful applicant will be required to support Duty and Out of Hours on a rota basis and will be paid an out of hours’ allowance of £1,500 per annum once participating in the rota. Closing: Midnight - Sunday, 6th June 2021 Interviews: Thursday 17th June 2021 (via Microsoft Teams) Safeguarding is everyone’s business and TACT believe that only the people with the right skills and values should work in social work. As part of TACT’s commitment to safeguarding, we properly examine the skills, experience, qualifications and values of potential staff in relation to our work with vulnerable young children. We use rigorous and consistent recruitment approaches to help safeguard TACT’s young people. All our staff are expected to work in line with TACT’s safeguarding policies. TACT does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them. TACT reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so we advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment. Full details and application documents here A partnership of children’s care charities are calling on councils to commission fostering services from the voluntary and not for profit sectors rather than via private companies. The campaign group Fairer Fostering Partnership (FFP) includes Action for Children, Barnardo’s and The Adolescent and Children’s Trust (TACT). It has launched a social media push using the hashtag #forchildrennotprofit, to promote commissioning care using the charity sector, rather than commercial fostering firms. The group says commercial fostering organisations are owned by private and venture capital companies that make “significant profits for shareholders”. FFP believes that any profit from foster care should be re-invested into children’s services. “Excessive profit has no place in the care of vulnerable children,” says the group. “FFP members work purely for children, not for profit, and in a financially strapped sector funded by taxpayers helping thousands of vulnerable children in care, it is important that local authorities and foster cares are able to make an informed choice as to which fostering providers they work with.” TACT chief executive and FFP chair Andy Elvin said: “All our members’ resources are invested in meeting the needs of vulnerable children and young people, and not in making a profit from them.
“This transparency and accountability are welcomed by local authorities and foster carers alike, but we need to continue promoting the message that excessive profits are being made by some agencies at a time when there is less money in the system. That clearly can’t be a good thing for children in care.” Source: www.charitytimes.com Foster Care Fortnight takes places from 10-23 May 2021. The theme this year is #WhyWeCare, encouraging people involved in fostering to tell everyone what makes them want to help children and young people. St Christopher’s runs two fostering services, one in the Eastern Region and one in the West Midlands. Between the regions there are 54 foster families caring for 70 children and young people. Could you be a foster carer? St Christopher’s is looking for people who want to create brighter futures for children and young people through fostering. We are a registered charity, which means we can put the needs of young people at the heart of all of our work. When you are a foster carer, a young person moves into your home with you. You look after them just as you would with your own child, helping them with education, friendships and enjoying their childhood. There is no one-size-fits-all foster carer – St Christopher’s welcomes applicants from all backgrounds with all different life experiences, as long as you can meet these requirements to foster:
Learn more about fostering Sign up to a free online drop-in session, where you can find out what it’s really like to foster from current Foster Carers. Visit our YouTube channel to watch videos about fostering or read stories from our foster carers on our website. Request a call back today or call 0800 234 6282 to speak to a member of our team. Even if you are at the early stages of considering fostering and just want to ask some questions, we are happy to help. Source: www.stchris.org.uk |
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