Safehouses North Foster Carer Support

All Safehouses North foster carers receive regular formal and informal support.. Each carer has a Supervising Social Worker who visits as regularly as the carer requires and provides monthly formal supervision.

Should an emergency occur out of normal office hours, our foster carers have the reassurance of a 24-hour on-call service.

In addition to the professional help provided by Safehouses Social Workers, foster carers are encouraged to support one another in an informal, friendly way. Many lasting friendships are formed as carers get to know each other through attending our frequent training events. These events enable foster carers to benefit both from the expertise of visiting professionals and from sharing their own experiences, concerns and successes. 69% of Safehouses foster carers' households currently hold the NVQ Level 3 award "Caring for Children and Young People" and this figure continues to rise.   All of our foster carers are now undertaking the Children's Workforce Development Council training and we will continue to support carers to  achieve the required standards in the next twelve months following their approval.

Our foster carers, their families and the Looked After Children can also meet each other and members of staff in an unstructured and relaxed way at Safehouses social events. These informal gatherings have included Christmas parties, discos and other outings thoughout the calendar year.

A Safehouses North newsletter and website also helps to keep both carers and staff in touch with one another.

We are always looking at new and individual ways of supporting our carers and invite feedback and ideas on how to do this.