Halton Borough Council fostering service wants to remind people of the ways fostering with your local authority can benefit the children, the carers and the service.
Foster Carers play a vital role in the lives of Halton’s vulnerable children and young people, and with an increasing amount of children coming into our care; we want to recruit people from the local area who can offer a safe environment for children who might be confused and scared, wondering what their future holds.
We value our Foster Carers and offer a generous support package for both existing and new foster carers. While there are endless benefits when you foster for your local authority here are five reasons we think you need to know;
1. Local Service: Take advantage of local staff members with extensive experience and strong links in the community along with good working relationships with families in Halton. We are highly likely to be informed of children’s individual situations as we’re the first point of call when a child needs to be looked after- which also means there tends to be regular placements available.
2. Routine: Avoid unsettling children and young people more than necessary. Fostering local means just that. Where possible children can remain in a familiar place and continue going to the same school. Your social workers are also based in the local area and are easily available in times of need.
3. Non Profit: The council is the first point of call for all children and young people who can no longer stay with their parents. It’s the council who then take the necessary steps to placing children with a Halton foster family. This isn’t always possible and some children are placed with an independent agency.
4. Partnerships: Working with Halton Borough Council opens up access to a variety of council services – for example support schemes, specialist workshops, venues and lots of events across the local area.
5. Carer support and benefits: We invest time and offer continuous support for our foster carers as well as paying generous weekly tax free allowances. Core training is provided and there are numerous ways foster carers can develop their skills and continue to learn with Halton Borough Council. In addition to training there are support groups and working sessions (coffee and cake encouraged) run by existing foster carers and the fostering service. Halton foster carers are also provided with a free Max Card which offers discounts on thousands of leisure attractions all over the country.
Visit foster4.co.uk and youcanfoster.org/halton for more information on local authority foster care.
If you have questions for the Halton Fostering Team, give them a call 0800 1953175 or go along to an upcoming information event foster.co.uk/events