On this page: Information about Fostering, including eligibility, types of foster care and how to apply.
What is Fostering?
Fostering is a way of providing children and young people with a family life when they are unable to be looked after by their own family. This could be just for a few days or many months.
Who can be a Foster carer?
Foster carers come from all walks of life and backgrounds. Their common link is a genuine concern for the welfare of children whom they can help by offering to share their lives and home.
Anyone who feels they have something to offer children can apply. There are no age limits, and it doesn’t matter whether you’re single, married, or living as a couple.
We need foster carers of all ethnic origins – children do best in families that can reflect their own culture, language and religion.
Disability needn’t be a barrier to fostering – but the job can be demanding, so you will need to be reasonably fit, both physically and emotionally. In fact, we are interested to hear from anyone who has time, patience, energy and a sense of humour.
Support for Foster Carers
Fostering isn’t something you are expected to do on your own. Foster carers have the support of their own family placement officer, there are regular meetings with other foster carers, and on-going training is provided through the Children Services Department. Foster carers also receive financial support.
Types of Care
There are many different types of foster care, each tailored to suit the needs of the child or young person needing care.
Emergency crisis care
A significant number of placements in foster care are made at very short notice, due to some kind of family crisis. Carers able to offer this vital resource provide shelter and meet other immediate practical care needs of the child while more suitable arrangements are made. Very often, such crisis placements will evolve into short-term or even long-term placements.
Short-term foster care
Most children who are fostered do return to their own families, often within a very short period of time. Short-term foster care therefore aims to provide a temporary home for the child as part of the foster carers' own family.
Foster carers offering this resource may well look after a large number of different children over the course of a year.
Long-term foster care
Long-term foster care is designed to provide a permanent home to those children who, for many reasons, are unable to live within their own family.
For younger children, permanence may best be achieved through adoption and this option will usually be considered when it is clear that a child cannot return home.
Relief foster care
Relief foster care offers a regular break for children or young people. For example one or two weekends a month. Relief foster carers might also provide a regular break for long term foster carers who are caring for children with complex needs.
Shared care
Shared care is an arrangement where children or young people live for part of the time with their parents and part with a foster carer.
Reasons for Children Needing Foster Care
Parents may fall ill and find themselves temporarily unable to look after their children.
Some parents find themselves struggling to cope with several young children, sometimes alone.
Sometimes, difficulties within a child's own family may be so intense that a period of 'time out' is necessary to get things back on an even keel.
Young people may find themselves in trouble with the police, and their own families feel unable to cope.
Some children suffer neglect, or physical, sexual or emotional abuse, and need to be removed from home for their own protection.
Although some children do still come into care through court proceedings, nowadays most are looked after as a result of voluntary arrangements between their parents and the Children Services Department.
Eligibility Criteria
The following downloadable pdf file is available:
Fostering Eligibility Criteria
Support
Once approved, every foster carer is allocated their own designated family placement officer whose job is to help and support you with the placement of any child or young person in your home.
Each child placed in your care will have their own individual social worker. You will receive a copy of Swindon's Foster Care Handbook, and you will also become a member of the National Foster Care Association. This will give you access to a huge range of information and training opportunities.
You will be encouraged to attend our regular foster carer support group meetings and will be expected to participate in appropriate in-house training.
All foster carers are subject to an annual approval review, designed to take into account any changes in family circumstances.
Applying to Become a Foster Carer
Making a decision to become a foster carer isn’t one to be taken lightly. We suggest your next step is to talk to a social worker from the Family Placement Team based on the Civic Offices Campus. The team can be contacted through the Swindon Borough Council switchboard on 01793 445500, or there is also a direct line number telephone: 01793 465700 or you can e-mail them at familyplacement@swindon.gov.uk.
Information for foster carers on Tax and National Insurance
When you start fostering, you will need to register as self-employed with HMRC. If you have never had to work out your own tax or fill out a tax return before, there is a helpful eLearning tool on the HMRC website.
See: Starting Your Own Business eLearning (www.hmrc.gov.uk/courses/syob/fc/index.html)
Further Information/Contact
If you are considering adopting a child or becoming a foster carer and would like more information, please contact us at:
Swindon Borough Council
Children Services
Family Placement Team
Lyndhurst Centre
Lyndhurst Crescent
Park North
Swindon
SN3 2RW
Tel: 01793 465700
E-mail: familyplacement@swindon.gov.uk
The information contained in this web page is also available in a printed leaflet. If you would like copies of this leaflet, or the same information in another format, please contact Swindon Direct.
The leaflet is also available as a downloadable pdf document:
Fostering Statement of Purpose |
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