Social Care and Health

The Fostering Support Team is an integral part of the whole fostering package to support foster placements in order to alleviate pressure from foster carers.

The team works directly and indirectly with young people who present challenges for their carers and especially where there is a high risk of placement breakdown.

There are 4 workers within the team with diversity of skills in working with emotionally unstable and vulnerable young people. The team becomes involved following referrals from either the carer/s’ supervising social worker or the child’s social worker. Once a referral has been accepted, the allocated worker will work intensively with the young person with view to addressing the presenting difficulties as agreed with the referrer. Our involvement is time limited, but can be extended depending on individual circumstances.

Workers can address issues such as anger management, raising self esteem, managing risky behaviours; relationship building and steering vulnerable girls away from sexual exploitation (self-protection work).The team have experience of intervention in trans-racial placements and work closely with the in-house psychologist to gain an insight into some very challenging behaviours presented by young people. The psychologist can provide valuable advice on such issues as attachment and past abuse and hence promote a better understanding of the causes of behaviour.