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admin@familyfostering.co.uk
Helpline Number
0800 389 4448
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How long does it take to become a foster carer?
The process of becoming a foster carer usually takes 3 – 5 months.
In this time your assessor will get to know you really well so that when you are approved, they know what type of foster children will fit in best with you and your family.
During the assessment process we want to get you to reflect on how fostering is going to impact you and your family. You’ll be invited to attend Skills to Foster training to help you practically prepare for your role as a foster carer and meet those also applying to foster.
Steps to become a Foster Carer
The process of becoming a foster carer is summarised below. Click each step for information to be displayed below. You will receive full support at all stages and help with anything you are unsure of.
Call us on 0800 389 4448 for an initial discussion or complete our online enquiry form. A member of the team will get in contact to collect further information and arrange an initial home visit.
A worker from Family First Fostering will visit to discuss fostering with you further, to gather some background information about you and your family and to check you have appropriate bedroom space in your home and discuss any other Health & Safety related issues. We will bring an application pack with information about fostering and document that are needed to fill out if the visit is positive. This can be completed later and send to us by post.
Once this is completed and your application is accepted, a formal assessment will begin.
The assessment process is called a ‘Form F’ assessment and it involves a review of your suitability to provide foster care. This will be undertaken by a skilled member of our staff and you will receive full support at all stages. As part of the process, you will be required to: 1. Provide references – both personal and employment 2. Undertake a medical check with your GP (paid for by us) 3. Consent to other checks with Local Authorities, schools or other agencies.
You will receive specific training through a three-day training course to prepare you to foster and to achieve “Skills to Foster”. Attending courses will also allow you to meet other carers, share experiences and learn more about foster care.
Following completion of your training and fostering assessment, the report will be submitted to an Independent Panel for approval recommendations to be made in terms of the numbers and ages of children that can be placed with you. You will be asked to attend the Panel with the social worker who completed your assessment.
The Agency decision maker will have the final decision regarding your approval. They will read all the paperwork from the assessment process and the panel minutes and make a decision. Once approved with Family First Fostering you will be allocated a Supervising Social Worker to help and support you.
Your fostering journey starts from the initial enquiry!
Apply To Become a Foster Carer
What People Say
“I’ve been a foster carer with Family First for a while now and really enjoy working with them. They are a friendly team, always available to offer help and support to foster carers when needed. They offer great training packages to foster carers, which I feel has greatly helped me develop my skills and knowledge as a carer. They organise lots of fun activities and annual social events for all foster carers and children to participate in. Overall, it’s a great company to work with.”
Since I’ve been with family first I find they go above and beyond to help and assist in all matters also there always there at the end of a phone regardless of time there a very committed team and you never feel alone even when things sometimes go wrong or you just need some reassurance there for you there a very hands on team and what I love about family first is that they truly go out there way to make sure that people understand their roles and everything is explained when it comes to the children they also make there selves known to the children and builds up a relationship with the child so when we all meet up children don’t feel lost they just fit in and understand there situation and how everyone cares for them and their future.
“We have worked with FFF for the past 7years as foster carers.
During this time we have faced many challenges with the children we've cared for also much joy in their achievements and satisfaction knowing that we are helping them by providing a safe and caring home throughout their journey in the care system.
We have been fully supported by our agency throughout our journey as carers. They have provided excellent relevant training to help us learn how to be effective and understanding in our relationships with the children placed with us.
We are confident, that if needed, help and support is provided 24/7 by people we know and who know us.
Also the opportunity to meet with the other carers in our monthly support group gives us the chance to discuss and share how we have dealt with situations. We can all learn from each other.
Another positive is the fantastic day trips arranged for us all to meet up and enjoy.
A real Family First experience!
Honestly, we can say this is a great opportunity to do a worthwhile job with a great agency. “
“My journey began two and a half years ago when I decided to go into fostering. Had friend who was social worker and through ideas fostering, and I decided to find out more. The Agency Manager came to visit, and we started the process. The training given was very formative and interesting. In December 2017 I went to panel, and by January 2018 I was fostering a boy who have been living with us for over two and half years. we are really enjoying so far.
My experience with the company have all been positive, and all the staff are very helpful, and encouraging. I am lucky to work for a really caring and committed team at family first fostering who helped and advise me every step of the way. I am glad I chose family first fostering and recommended to my children who want to be foster carers now and are completing the process.”
“When K first arrived in our care, he was very withdrawn and would cry at loud noises. He was also very tense and watchful. However, as his relationship with the family developed and he started to feel safe and secure, he started to blossom and reach his developmental milestones”
“I can always call Shabeer anytime of the day or night for advice. He visits me often and supported me”, He’s built a relationship with Y.”
“The agency is also very supportive and would go above and beyond to support foster carers. For example, when my foster child displayed challenging behaviour, I received a call from the director, (Noor Snr) to see how I was doing as well as my supervising social worker offered to pop down with urgency to support me. This made me feel a part of the agency very much and not working in isolation.”
“As a family, fostering has brought us closer as we have seen how children and families are impacted and even though we were very close know see even more how important each one-off is. Fostering as a whole is going very well and we feel very lucky\blessed with the children that have been placed with us.”
“I currently care for unaccompanied minors from abroad. English is not their first language, when they first arrived, I used Google translate and gestures to communicate with them. Now their English is improving a lot. I enjoy the work I do with the children.”
“The trainings are very educational.”
“Supervising social worker has been very supportive to us with our fostering needs.”
“Noor & Geeta are always to hand if we need anything. They often pop buy and to see how we are doing. The agency is great.”
“Fostering is challenging but also rewarding. We have got a lot of support from the agency and they are always available to help us meet the needs of the children currently placed.”
“I have been fostering for over 15 years with different agencies. I am happy with this agency and feel respected. Noor is always to hand to support and often visits. Not only in emergencies.”
“I was recommended to Family First Fostering due to the support and they have lived up to their reputation. It has only been a year with them, but they have given me suitable placements and they support me. The team is very experienced and if I have any issues I just go to Noor or Geeta”.
“All the boys are very independent for example they do their own chores such as cooking , washing dishes ,and doing their own laundry. We regularly sit down and eat together and catch up .As foster parents we are happy to see positive changes in their lives and it has been very rewarding and fulfilling for us to facilitate this. We feel we have learned a lot by actually performing the role of a foster carer. We feel we have gained the most experience and development dealing with the different situations and day to day scenarios”
“The experience that I have gained with fostering has been great full of knowledge.”
“We work close together with the supervising social worker. We share every information with the social worker, and they support us by giving different suggestions, how to solve the problems and be successful.”
“Family First Fostering is what it says. They treat everyone like family members. Our journey with the agency has been fantastic. We had no fostering experience and the process was explained to us at the initial visit. Now we have three wonderful boys in placement who are long term and are part of the family. They get along with my birth children and this job is rewarding to all.”
“Our friends have been foster carers have fostering with Family First for a long time and we have supported them. We decided to become foster carers after seeing our friends look after the children and see them grown up. Fostering has been a new experience which has been eye opening. I feel blessed to have the children in placement and the agency is great.”
“I have been fostering for 7 years with Family first fostering and the experience has been great. It has had its challenges but the agency has been there to support me. I am happy with the placements I have. The key is to find what works for your family household and to share the love.”
“Never have I been made to feel like anything is too much trouble or I am asking the wrong questions which is so lovely. I think the whole Family First Fostering team are super supportive and I know that I definitely made the right decision moving across."
“I have enjoyed fostering and enjoyed working with you and your team at Family First Fostering. It is a great agency that is really supportive and I would not hesitate to recommend the agency”
“We are happy with all the training received from Family First Fostering and during times with no placement the agency is very supportive to us.”
“Our supervising social worker is in weekly contact with us with referrals and supervision visits. I believe we have open communication with her in terms of our fostering role and how things are progressing. Family First Fostering offer great training and support.”
“We have a good working relationship with our supervising social worker, we always keep her up to date with any concerns regarding the children, and communicate via the phone along with support meeting we attend.”
‘We have great support from everyone at FFF’
“The supervising social worker is always pleasant and friendly and makes you feel at ease whenever I have met her at events or training. We attend all the support group and fun days the agency puts on”
“After my child left home I felt I still had something to give, so went into fostering and found that with love and training I can make a difference to a child/YP's lives.”
“I am proud to be a foster carer because I love working with children and teenagers giving them a childhood that they have never experienced, with a family feel and also life skills. This is the best feeling in the world and it is very rewarding.”
“Family First Fostering and the team was able to provide extra support when we were going through personal issues. They were there to support and to ensure the children needs in placement was. They treat me as part of the family”
“The agency supported us when we had a complaint from the local authority, and they stood by us and taught us with patience and explanation what needs to be changed. This was a difficult period for us, and we did think to give up on fostering. Now everything is good, and we have long term placement. The agency really stuck by us when the times was difficult. I highly recommend the agency”
“Our relationship with our social worker is excellent. She is professional, approachable and supportive.”
“The fostering team are second to none. We get good communication, regular supervision, excellent training and friendly local support groups.”
Working with Family First is always a pleasure. Shabeer consistently goes above and beyond to help with placements and also arranging to pick up our young people in emergencies and escort to their placement. You can tell it is a family run business and they work hard to ensure good outcomes for children. You can also rely on the fact that they will not request extra costs for placements or share these with us if escorts etc are required. We do send referrals to all LCS providers, but they consistently are the first response and will work hard to support us.
My experience working at FFF has been more rewarding than I could have imagined. The company allows staff, foster carers and young people to grow, develop and achieve in any way they wish providing positive support along the way. I cannot thank the company enough for allowing me the opportunity to learn and grow in a professional way and I’ll be forever grateful for that. All in all, I will be eternally thankful for the support Noor, Geeta and their family have given me at the start of my professional journey, and I cannot wait to continue and grow within a company that changes so many lives.
Working at Family First Fostering has been a pleasure we have been able to support, and guide foster carers and we have been able to help so many looked after children. It has enabled me to learn and develop as a person. The company has supported me through my social work degree and allowed me to gain the skills and experience to develop my professional career. All in all, touching so many young lives and watching them grow is the more rewarding part of my job and I hope to encourage more young people to become foster carers and to embark on this journey
When I worked with Family First Fostering, I can tell they really support their foster families and went above and beyond. The carers are committed and really care for the children they looked after. Personally, I really developed at the agency and very thankful for support from the managers.
Family First Fostering is very professional and reliable. They have been helpful in their placement searches for looked after children and careful consider the needs of the young people before accepting the placement. Noor is always available if there is an issue that needs to be resolved. They have good outcomes for the children they care for and we want to continue to work in partnership with them.
The placement team at Family First Fostering is great and reliable. They have good communication skills and work open and honestly with us. I have worked with the organisation over 6 years and they really think about the needs of the children first. They have some strong carers who are able to meet the needs of complex placements.
Caring for children is an awesome responsibility. Family First Fostering has an excellent and professional team that are dedicated to support their foster carers all the way. I feel valued and respected for the fantastic job that I do day in and day out.
I am very happy with Family Firsts Fostering service because everything comes on time. Every application form, assessment and the communication with agency was in time and people from the agency are very kind and I am happy to work with them.
We are a mother/daughter team with Family First Fostering.
From the very beginning of our joining to now. 5 years on. We have fostered girls from infancy to 17 year olds with confidence and the knowledge that we have been guided supported and trained to help young people and make a positive difference to their lives.
Every question or query we have had has been answered. Total support is given and the knowledge gained from training gives us the confidence to foster and continue to foster for many years to come.
Definitely come and join our family!
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