Southend’s Fostering Family are currently recruiting for emergency foster carers who can support children and young people during emergency situations when they need somewhere immediate to go.
We require our emergency Foster Carers to be on hand to offer them care shelter and support, often with very little notice.
Emergency Foster Carers play a vital role for our most vulnerable children and young people, who need a warm, safe and nurturing environment during an emergency to allow time for more careful and long-term plans to be put in place. There are many different types of foster care, and emergency Foster Care is one area which is often overlooked.
If you’d like to find out more about emergency foster care, get in touch today. We’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have and provide further information on this important and incredibly rewarding role.
Southend Fostering Family’s Emergency Foster Carers
What is an emergency placement?
Ideally, when children and young people are accommodated by the local authority the aim is to plan and match them to the right foster care placement straight away. This is to prevent too many changes for children and young people who aren’t able to remain where they previously resided.
However, this is not always possible, because at times they must leave immediately due to risk of harm. This can be for any reason, such as unexpected bereavement of their care giver(s), or the parents may struggle with mental health, drug and alcohol issues or violent relationships. Reasons such as these leave them with nowhere to go and requiring an immediate safe place to stay until further arrangements can be made.
How long does an emergency placement last?
The aim of the emergency placement is to provide 72 hours of care for children and young people while longer-term plans are made. The emergency placement is a quick stopgap to allow for better planning by the social work team, allowing time to consider the next step in terms of a more suitable placement arrangement where they can stay until either things become safer in their main place of residence or longer period to allow the family court to decide about their long-term care.
Could you be an emergency Foster Carer?
Children and young people who require an emergency Foster Care placement will be scared and confused. They may be coming to terms with a very difficult and traumatic event, but too young to fully understand what has happened. They’ll find themselves in a strange environment away, from the people they know and love, which means that the emergency Foster Carer they are placed with needs to be extraordinarily patient and understanding.
An emergency Fostering placement is for up to 72 hours, and serves as a crucial point in a child’s journey. Although being an emergency Foster Carer can be unpredictable and demanding, it can also be extremely rewarding. Being there for a young person at a time when they need you the most and having the opportunity to offer them safety and kindness is a real privilege, one which makes emergency Fostering worthwhile.
We ensure that our Carers receive all the support and training they need, so you’ll never be alone. All our Foster Carers, including emergency Carers, will have access to their own supervising social worker and out-of-hours support.
Available support
As an emergency Foster Carer, you will undergo intensive training. Alongside this, you’ll receive a financial package that will allow you to focus on proving the support and care required.
An on-call fee of £300 per week (for making yourself available in case a placement is required)
An additional £300 fee when a child is with you, alongside an additional child allowance payment ranging from £180.89 to £301.16 (depending on the age of the child or young person)
Council Tax Relief: Foster carers who complete their TSD (training, support and development) within the first 12 months of approval as foster carers will receive Council Tax relief on completion. Foster Carers residing in properties registered as Band D or above will receive the Council Tax relief for Band D. For Carers who reside in Southend, the Council Tax relief will be shown on their statement. For Carers who reside outside of Southend the relief will show on their weekly remittance advice.
28 days paid break from Fostering. Emergency Foster Carers will be entitled to negotiate an annual total of 28 days leave without placements or tasks, whilst receiving a flat fee of £300 per week. This period will run each financial year (April to March).
Mileage Reimbursement: School transport where the trip involves taking a child to school and is greater than a 6 mile return journey, the carer can claim for the additional mileage above 6 miles. Mileage is paid at 45p per mile.
All payments made are non-taxable.