Some children have disabilities or complex health conditions – physical, developmental, learning or sensory disabilities – that can result in parents being unable to meet their needs.

 

We’re appealing for more people with the relevant experience to care for these children and young people to come forward to foster, in particular those who have a background in caring or working with them, or those from the care, health or education sectors.

 

This will help ensure they can be appropriately matched and we can build successful fostering arrangements minimising disruption and improving outcomes, and so they can thrive in a caring environment, freely express themselves, spend time doing things they enjoy, and develop simple coping strategies to reduce stress.

 

This includes children and young people like six-year-old Ellie* who is looking for a long term, loving home. Ellie has found it hard to be understood verbally, although she is now making good progress with the use of lengthy sentences and being able to name almost all items around her. Ellie loves to play, particularly imaginative play and with her dolls, and enjoys going out and about to play zones and Flip Out.”

 

Jo, an experienced sole carer with Portsmouth City Council, has fostered children with additional needs including many children with autism. Jo shared, “I started my caring career as a young adult working with disabled children before training as a registered general nurse. When I returned to work after a career break raising my own family, including my son who himself has additional needs, my choices always led me back to the care profession and especially working with children who have complex needs.”

 

Jo continued, “My son was non-verbal and still in nappies aged six, yet he now drives, has a good job and is father to my beautiful granddaughter, who also has autism and global delay. He is an inspiration and has motivated me to offer children like him, who couldn’t live with their birth families for whatever reason, the same chances that he had including a stable, loving home.”

 

[Read more about Jo’s experiences with parent and child fostering: ‘Guide & empower vulnerable parents’]

 

Why not take a moment to discover more about how you can utilise your skills and experience to make a difference to the lives of children and young people with additional needs in the Portsmouth area, including those with learning and physical disabilities, complex health needs, and traumatic life experiences.

 

In addition to fostering allowances of up to £288 per week for each child, carers with the necessary skills and experience to provide this type of care will receive weekly specialist fees of up to £353 per child. Others will have the opportunity, with ongoing professional training, to gain additional expertise to progress to higher skills levels.

 

Jo explains: “The financial support is based on a tier system from level one to level three. These include weekly packages of financial support for all carers that cover the children’s basic needs, and then your professional fee. The more experience you have, the higher up you become. Level three foster carers typically take in children with more complex needs which can include children with disabilities.”

 

Foster carers who care for children or young people with additional needs also receive enhanced training, 24/7 support, as well as respite care or Family Link support from other foster carers. You could also have access to our mentoring scheme and Mockingbird programme, as well as becoming eligible for tax relief, additional financial support, discounts and benefits.

 

People over the age of 21 with a spare bedroom could foster with Foster Portsmouth, regardless of their age, gender, faith, ethnicity, sexuality, marital or work status, or whether they rent or own their own home. This could be a short or long term arrangement for a child or siblings until they’re ready to live independently or be reunited with family, support for children with a disability or unaccompanied children seeking safety and asylum, supported lodgings to develop their independent living skills, parent and baby placements, or respite care.

 

Jo, who currently has a young boy in her care on a permanent basis, concluded, “Seeing children learning to heal and form healthy, loving attachments and relationships is the most rewarding part of fostering for me.”

 

If you have the commitment and enthusiasm to care for children including those with additional needs, we would love to hear from you. We can arrange an informal chat with an experienced member of our team to answer any queries you may have. We can also organise a 1:1 with one of our existing carers so you can discover first-hand the difference you could make.

 

To enquire about fostering with Foster Portsmouth, or to arrange a 1:1 with one of our experienced team or existing foster carers, please contact us.

 

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*Names are changed to protect confidentiality.