FREE FOSTER CARE APPLICATION SERVICE.
Are you considering becoming a foster care professional?
Simply Fostering provides comprehensive information about foster care and a free agency matching service to prospective foster carers.
Foster carers provide a safe and nurturing family environment to children in need. There are many different types of foster care in the UK, from emergency placements to long-term foster homes. At Simply Fostering we will help you in assessing which option is most suitable for you.
Foster care can be an extremely fulfilling career. Anybody can apply to become a foster carer. After making an application, your suitability will be independently assessed. This process can take anywhere up to six months. During this period, the council or agency will complete a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check on you and anyone over eighteen in your home. It is also compulsory to complete a medical check, to ascertain your physical suitability for the role.
The different types of foster care.
- Emergency foster care:
Emergency foster carers need to be prepared to take a child into their home at very short notice. Emergency foster placements are unplanned and occur if a child’s situation has changed dramatically in a short period of time. For example, if their parent has been hospitalised. This type of placement usually only lasts a few days before a longer-term solution can be organised. - Short-term foster care:
A short-term placement can be anything from an overnight stay to several months. Short-term care is the most prevalent form of foster care in the UK. Carers provide a temporary home to children before they can return home or be put up for adoption. Often, children in short-term care will maintain contact with their birth family. - Long-term foster care:
In some cases, children will not be able to be reunited with their birth family for several years, if at all. Long-term fostering provides children in care with an alternative familial environment and stability. Similar to short-term placement, children will often retain contact with their birth family. - Support care:
Support care is a contemporary alternative to traditional foster homes. It is a form of part-time care, where a child might stay from a few hours each week to a couple of weekends each month. This gives their own family or guardians respite and support. This is a preventative system designed to stop young people from entering the care system. - Specialist care:
Specialist carers undergo extra training to help them specialise in caring for children with unique needs. This could include children with severe behavioural issues, learning disabilities, or mental health issues.
The Simply Fostering aim.
At Simply Fostering we aim to make the process of applying to become a foster carer as simple as possible. Through our UK Agency Database, we will pair you with the most suitable fostering agencies in West Sussex. We also aim to provide a comprehensive source of information on everything fostering.
To find out more and to take the next step towards a career as a foster carer, use our no obligation, free agency matching service by completing our online fostering eligibility quiz, and get fostering right the first time!
West Sussex population and demography.
West Sussex is a largely rural area. As of the 2011 census the population was 806,900 with the most populous region being Arun, with 149,200 residents. According to the most recent estimates the population of West Sussex is gradually increasing. Chichester is the only city in West Sussex, with the rest of the urban population being divided between the towns of Horsham, Crawley and Worthing.
There are approximately 28,000 children living in West Sussex, with 1,200 in the support of Children’s Services. From March 2010 to March 2015 the population of looked after children has gradually decreased. This contrasts with most of the unitary councils in the UK.
West Sussex has been the benefactor of a strong recruitment drive from the county council and independent agencies. However, West Sussex is challenged by a unique set of circumstances in recruiting foster carers.
West Sussex is one of the least densely populated regions in the UK, with only 423 residents per square kilometre. Ideally, agencies do not like to relocate children too far from their birth family. This can have an extremely disruptive influence on their life. Therefore, West Sussex needs to recruit more foster carers to optimise their services.
West Sussex Needs More Foster Carers!