‘It’s amazing to see your young person flourish’
CALL GOES OUT FOR MORE ‘RESILIENCE’ FOSTER CARERS
PEOPLE in East Staffordshire are being encouraged to help children who have had a difficult start to life by becoming a specialist resilience foster carer.
Staffordshire County Council’s fostering service is looking for people who have specialist skills and experience working with children and young people as part of the new campaign.
This includes former teachers, uniformed services, health workers and residential care workers.
As a resilience foster carer, you will support the young person in your care to develop positive relationships, improve their educational engagement and improve their emotional wellbeing.
Staffordshire foster carer Neil Hamilton, above, who formerly worked in education said: “Resilience fostering can be a challenge and it’s not for everyone but the rewards of seeing your young person flourish is amazing.
“I’ve never experienced the sense of making a difference in any other role I have had, it really is humbling. The training and ongoing support you get along the way is second to none, and you’re never on your own.
“I’d definitely encourage anyone interested in the challenge of helping turn a young person’s life around to get in touch with the service.”
Resilience foster carers will typically care for children and young people moving out of residential care into their family home.
People joining the team can expect a generous fostering salary of up to £42,788 per year.
Regular short breaks, round-theclock support and ongoing training are also available for those joining.
The service is ideally looking for people who are patient, caring, emotionally resilient and good communicators. Neelam Bhardwaja, Director for Children and Families at Staffordshire County Council, said: “We are looking for incredible people with the right experience to support our children in care.
“Our resilience fostering scheme allows us to move children and young people out of residential care and back into a family home. This means they can be part of a loving family and get the best possible start in life.
“Being a resilience foster carer is hard work, but also incredibly rewarding to know that you’re making a positive impact on a young person’s life.
“We’re looking for people who can provide long-term or short-term, high-quality support. If this sounds like you, the service would love to hear from you.”
People interested in finding out more can attend an online information event on June 27 at 6pm.
Further details are available on the Staffordshire County Council resilience fostering webpage.