Specialist Foster Carer

Cheshire West and Chester Council are looking to recruit skilled and experienced foster carers who have worked with adolescents to join our Specialist Foster Carer scheme. The scheme aims to enable young people to step down from residential care and move to a family environment that can continue to meet their needs. Carers within the scheme will be part of a wraparound professional support team composing of a social worker, teacher, therapist and family support worker.For more information about our support package, please visit and .To complete an Expression of Interest please email or call Foster directly on .Contract and Pay To reflect the skills required to care for our children and adolescents, you will be paid a professional fee of £, per annumA fostering allowance will be provided to cover other fostering expenses mileage, Christmas and Birthday moneyRegular short stays will be offered to the young person to enable a break for foster carers Key requirementsYou will need to: Successfully complete a foster carer assessment and approval by Cheshire West and Chester CouncilBe available on a full-time basis to care for the young person placedHave room to support a child or adolescent in your homeBe able to offer a home to a solo childBe willing to ‘stick with’ and provide a durable relationship and offer stabilityLike and relate to young people with complex and troubled backgroundsBe committed to providing life enhancing opportunities and life skills to the child or adolescentLive in the Cheshire West and Chester area or close byBe able to demonstrate a caring attitude that is child centred and relationalBe able to offer unconditional positive regard and encouragement to a young person, even whilst challenging unacceptable behaviour if neededSupport when a young person is not engaging in/attending education, training and employmentBe a car driver, with a vehicle suitable to be used for fostering activitiesBe able to fulfil successful DBS checkBe able to complete mandatory training requirementsBe able to support children and young people with family contact Personal CharacteristicsCharacteristics beneficial to the role include: PatienceChild centredTherapeuticEmotionally resilientPhysically resilientPersistentActiveFlexibleInterestedPositiveResilient family/networksRobustEmpatheticGood communicator Key experienceYou will be expected to: Demonstrate experience of working with children and adolescents with complex backgroundsUnderstand the impact of trauma, attachment and neglect on children and adolescentsEngage as part of the wider professional team involved in the scheme to create child-centred care and supportUphold professional fostering standards, including high quality recording and reportingUnderstand child development and effects on life experienceWork therapeutically with children and adolescents in line with ‘our way of working’ model Examples of professionsPrevious professions suited to role include: Residential WorkerPolice OfficerTeachersProbation WorkerPsychiatric NurseSpecialist Foster CarerFoster carer with additional experience of complex and challenging behaviourEx Staying Put Carers SupportSupport you will receive from the Fostering Team includes: Regular SupervisionCarers will be afforded a standard skills and training package as well as a suite of training tailored to their needs. This aims to support carer professional development and to address the need of any young person they have in their careRegular liaison, joint working and support from the wider scheme team including a teacher, therapist, family support worker and social workerAssessments of each young person’s support needs and development of support plans