Foster Carer

We have both full and part time posts available.

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Foster Carer

Payments

Foster carers get allowances to cover the day to day expenses of caring for the child. We will also pay you a professional fostering fee. Weekly total allowance rates (increase after 2 or 5 years’ service):

• From: £264.02 to £804.38 per week.

These rates will increase from 01 April 2024:

• From £403 to £658 per week.

Can I foster?

You need to:

• Be at least 21 years old
• Be a UK resident or have indefinite leave to remain
• Have the time and space to welcome a child/young person into your family – either on a fulltime or parttime respite/short break basis
• Have a spare bedroom
• Have experience of working with or caring for children and young people

Our foster carers come from a variety of backgrounds and circumstances and with different life experiences, skills and qualities so that they can meet the varying needs of children and young people. There is no such thing as a typical foster carer Here are some of the most common questions we get asked::

• Is there an age limit? There is no upper age limit for foster carers and we consider your experience and ability to keep up with the demands of an active child. Our only age limit for a foster carer is that you should be over the age of 21.
• Do I need to own my own home? No. Whether you own your home, rent from a private landlord or from your local authority doesn’t matter. All that we ask is that you have a spare bedroom so that the foster child has a space to make their own.
• Do I need to have my own children? No. Fostering is a popular choice for parents whose children have left home and they are looking for a way to help out while filling empty rooms in their home. However, you don’t have to have your own children and we will consider any experience you have caring for children or family/friends and any experience you have working with children, either in a professional or voluntary capacity.
• Can a single person or someone in a same relationship foster? Yes. You can be single, married, living together as a couple. We welcome applications from individuals of all genders, sexualities and sexual orientations.
• Can I foster if I follow a religion? Yes. We consider with you all aspects of your beliefs and values, day to day lifestyle, views (identity, ethnicity, culture, religion, gender, sexuality, disability) and we look at your capacity to be flexible, accept difference and support our children to receive positive messages and develop a strong sense of their own identity.

We are looking for people with:

• Energy, enthusiasm, motivation and resilience.
• Patience, tolerance and a sense of humour.
• Good communication skills, flexibility and commitment.
• Experience of caring for children.
• A warm and welcoming home with a spare bedroom.
• A willingness to welcome a child into your family.
• A genuine interest in helping children through a difficult time in their lives and to achieve their potential.

East Sussex Fostering Service can offer you:

• Placements – we place all East Sussex children who need a foster placement and always consider our own carers first.
• An allocated worker and access to a fostering social worker 24 hrs every day of the year.
• Local training and support groups.
• A generous allowance.
• Social event and activities for you and your family.
• Membership of East Sussex Foster Care Association and Fostering Network.
• Therapeutic, educational and placement support.

Transferring to East Sussex:

• Are you an approved foster carer who is waiting for a child/young person, has to travel for training/support groups or is feeling that the support you are receiving is not meeting your needs?
• We welcome foster carers who want to transfer to ESCC – experienced carers or those at the start of their fostering journey.
• All foster carers have the right to freedom of movement between fostering services and our Assessment and Recruitment Team is experienced in managing the process to ensure a timely and smooth transition to ESCC.
• You will not need to repeat the whole assessment process. We will review previous assessments and reports are used and update these to current day.
• You can transfer whilst caring for a child/young person from another local authority and our Assessment and Recruitment Team is experienced with working with other local authorities to ensure a smooth transition. We will pay you the current rate you are receiving for any child/young person you are caring for at the time of transfer and talk to you about your current support and ensuring that this continues.
• We will work with you, your existing agency and the local authority of any children or young people living with you to ensure that you are fully supported every step of the way.
• Please contact the assessment and recruitment team on 01323 464129 / fostering@eastsussex.gov.uk to find out more information and talk about the process. We can put you in touch with other carers who have transferred to talk about their experience of the transfer process and of fostering with ESCC.
• Your experience as a foster carer is valuable to us and we have children and young people waiting for a foster family.

How to apply:

If you have any questions, or want to find out if fostering could be the right choice for you, please look at https://new.eastsussex.gov.uk/children-families/children-in-care/fostering or get in touch. To register your interest in becoming a foster carer for East Sussex County Council you can:

• Call 01323 464129.
• Email – fostering@eastsussex.gov.uk
• Text Foster to 80806.
• Complete our online enquiry form – Fostering enquiry form