Experience of working with children? You could be a foster carer.
Children come into care every day of the week. Often they have had a difficult time. Their parents might be ill or have a drug or alcohol problem. The family might be going through a tough time for another reason. Our foster carers step in to give a young person a safe space. They help them grow in confidence and build their self-esteem. And when possible, they support the young people to return home to their family. The foster carers we need Ideally, we are looking for people with experience of working with children, who have patience, commitment, and flexibility. Good communication and listening skills are essential. Does that sound like you? The different types of fostering There are lots of different types of fostering and we help foster carers decide what is right for them and the children they look after. Emergency foster carers As an emergency foster carer, you would look after children under 18 for up to two weeks. These are often the children that have had the most difficult experiences. As a result, they can: find it hard to trust people be nervous about building new relationships be struggling at school suffer from low self-esteem. We want foster carers who can help them through these difficult days. Specialist foster carer As a specialist carer, you would help children who have been struggling with their existing foster placement or at school. They may have complex emotional or social difficulties. You would give them the support to deal with their emotions and behave positively. We want specialist foster carers who are committed to making a difference to these children when they are at their most vulnerable. You will need to be able to deal with the difficulties these children face. Think that fostering could be for you? We pay an average of £380 a week tax-free for one child. You’ll also get a regular income if you foster with us because we always have children who need a home. And, unlike some independent fostering agencies, we don’t do this to make money. We always put the needs and interests of our children first. Our foster carers receive: a dedicated social worker to help support you one-to-one round-the-clock on-call support from our social work team excellent professional training and development to help you progress in your fostering career. Who can be a foster care? You must: live in the Manchester area be in good health and have a spare room be happy for us to carry out checks to see that you’ll be a good foster carer. Interested? Get in touch today for an informal chat on 0800 988 8931. Or visit manchester.gov.uk/fostering to find out more information.