Birmingham

fostering children

SIMPLY FOSTERING

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Apply for fostering online.

Fostering in Birmingham

Finding You the right agency.

We are your partner in the foster care process!

Have you ever thought about a rewarding career as a a foster carer? Would you like to make a difference in someone’s life? Is this the moment you decide to take the first step?

Simply Fostering provides the only qualified, independent support information and free agency matching service to people interested in foster caring in Birmingham and surrounding areas.

We have been helping to reduce the confusion and stress by matching people’s skills and experience with the right fostering agencies since 2005 and have helped over a thousand potential foster carers to start their fostering career.

We provide comprehensive information about foster care and help you to reduce the risk of choosing the wrong fostering agency.

You can apply to foster:

  • Whatever your race, religion, language, culture, gender, disability, age or sexual orientation
  • If you are married, single, in a relationship, divorced or widowed
  • If you already have children of your own – provided your children are happy to accept a foster child into your family
  • If you have a job, or are thinking about working in the future as well as fostering, your employment situation will be discussed with you see how you would balance the two responsibilities as a foster carer.
  • If you are retired – provided you are able to balance your life with foster caring
  • If you had a difficult, unhappy childhood, provided you can think about what happened and can use your experiences in a positive way
  • Provided you have the space in your home, and a spare bedroom, under two’s could share your bedroom
  • Provided your health is good and you enjoy good relationships with children / young people
  • If you do not have a police record for violence or sexual offences.

Birmingham agencies

Making the right choice

From your contact form, one of our social work experts will match you and your situation with the most suitable fostering agencies in Birmingham, on our UK Independent Agency Database.

Different types

Just like people, Birmingham fostering agencies are not all the same; they have different support, allowances, quality of training, and access to respite care and support groups. Not all agencies foster babies, some prefer to look after teenagers, some agencies expect you to be at home full time, others are happy if you have another job.

Although agencies have similar expectations, it’s important that you have a clear understanding from the start.

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foster care handbook

and receive a FREE Foster Care Handbook

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Helpful questions when the agency visits you;

These questions are not exhaustive but cover most of the main areas you need to discuss when deciding which agency to choose to apply to.

How experienced are your supervising social workers?

  • Foster carers say that the social worker is their most important support

How good is your training?

  • Training is one of the top priorities for foster carers, ask if the agency offers NVQ in fostering

Describe how your 24 hour support works?

  • Carers say that they need to feel confident in the agency’s response when they ask for help

What does your Foster Carers Handbook cover?

  • Carers find the handbook very useful to check before making some day to day or more important decisions

What support groups do you provide?

  • Foster carers value the time with other carers, agencies should have support groups and activities for all the fostering family

Are your carers given membership of Fostering Network?

  • Many foster carers have benefited from the extra information and support

Does your agency have placement support workers and access to child health and education specialists?

  • Foster carers say that practical help when needed and good access to child care specialists keeps their placements more stable

What are your agency’s arrangements for respite or holidays for foster carers?

  • Foster carers say that having the choice to have a paid break from fostering children is very important to them

How much does your agency pay their foster carers?

  • Foster carers say that getting the finances clear from the start was very important, so that you can decide if you can afford to foster.

Things to think about.

Before deciding to become a foster carer there are a few things that should be considered.

Along with the training and support provided by the foster care agency, you should also check if you have a personal support system.

A good support system includes friends and family who can support you if times get stressful or when you need some practical help or support.

Also depending on your family situation and personal circumstances, the age group of foster kids you want to foster needs to be considered carefully.

Matching the foster children with each member of your family who live with you is of paramount importance.

Ever child’s needs vary based on their age and understanding.

Flexibility to work with social workers is important as they visit on a regular basis.

Foster carers need to be comfortable communicating with the adult carers of the foster child, as working to some level with the child’s carers will probably be a part the foster child’s care plan.

Take the next step.

“Loving Homes Wanted for Children who Need to be Safe From Even More Harm ”

Contacting us will help you to find the local agencies in Birmingham to choose from with vacancies, on our Simply Fostering Database.

“Become a Foster Carer – Love Your Role in a Child’s Life”

Find out more and to take the next step towards a career as a foster carer in and around Birmingham.

Use our no obligation, free agency matching service by completing our:

Online enquiry form.

Get fostering right first time!

Fostering Blogs

Emma’s Fostering Blog – I Love What I Do!

siblings

Vulnerable foster children Blog

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Emma’s fostering blog Vulnerable. As foster carers we often care for children who are globally delayed, when Sam came she was 7 and unable to do so many things for herself. Sam has had to be shown how to dress herself, put on shoes, eat with cutlery, had limited basic language much of a toddler, […]

Read more

Did you know?

Birmingham is the second largest city in the UK, there are 30 other places called Birmingham around the world and there’s a crater on the moon with the same name.

Birmingham means home (ham) of the people (ing) of the tribal leader Birm or Beorma and Birmingham’s first canal was opened in 1769.

The city is home to Cadbury’s Chocolate and Victoria Square has one of the largest fountains in Europe, known as ‘The River’. Birmingham’s Bull Ring has been the site of a market for over 800 years and Birmingham’s Centenary Square is made up of more than half a million hand laid bricks!

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