Foster Carer Training and Support

We don’t underestimate the challenges that come with being a foster carer, and we’re here to support you every step of the way.

As a Five Rivers foster carer, you will form part of a team of child care experts who are committed to transforming the lives of young people. Our support workers are available to you, your extended family and the foster children you are looking after at all times. As a foster carer, it is important that you have round the clock support, however, this is not something all fostering providers offer. The 24/7 support that we provide is a key reason why our carers stay with us and recommend Five Rivers to others.

Support for Foster Carers

Experienced Social Workers
You will be allocated a highly qualified supervising social worker who you will have regular contact and supervision with. Your social worker will be based at a local office, allowing strong relationships to develop – we know how important this is. We will ensure the support you receive from your social worker suits your needs.

Fostering Support Groups and Memberships
We also run a number of support groups. These groups give you the opportunity to discuss issues or concerns with other experienced carers and our local team of professionals. Networking with other carers in your area can be really helpful and we like to support this process as best we can.

You will also have instant access to Foster Talk, an independent organisation that provides a range of support and advice services to our foster carers. You will also be given membership to New Family Social, a charity for LGBT+ foster carers and adopters.

Round the Clock Support
Day or night, we’re available to help you – not something Local Authorities or other agencies always offer. We know this round the clock support is absolutely crucial. With our 24 hour helpline, highly qualified staff are always on hand to help. We also offer therapeutic support when needed to the children and young people living with you.

Specialist Training
Starting with the Skills to Foster course, our training has been organised in a way that suits you; it is local and accessible. The Assessment & Therapy team provides additional education and training for foster carers when required. This training is informed by research into the impact of developmental trauma on children and young people, and how this manifests in the behavioural presentation. This specialist training will help you as a foster carer to manage challenging behaviour and, in turn, reduces the risk of the placement breaking down.

Paid Short Breaks When Needed
We know that having time off is crucial, so we provide our carers with up to 14 days paid leave. We have ‘short break’ carers available to ensure that you can take time off when needed.

Support for Children

Support for our foster children is crucial, therefore we work very closely with the Local Authority to ensure we can meet their needs and support them on their journey. As an independent provider of children’s services, we also offer clinical and educational services when needed to support our children and young people.

We believe the children in your care can really benefit from meeting other foster families and having new experiences together. To facilitate this, we run activities such as camping trips, fun family days out and participation events.

Support for Birth Children

If you have birth children, we wrap our support around them too. Your birth children will be engaged from the start and part of the assessment process with the Skills to Foster training, helping you to engage your family on this journey. Where needed, our support workers offer specific support to birth children too.

In addition to this, we run an annual activity day for birth children, offering them the chance to meet other foster families. We also have helpful guides and resources developed by and for birth children.

Enquire to Foster Today!

We understand that making the decision to become a foster carer is a big commitment. Register your interest with our carer enquiries team for a no obligation chat to find out whether fostering could be right for you.

Enquire to Foster