The following information on fostering and adoption has been kindly provided by South Gloucestershire Council.
Foster Care
Fostering involves looking after someone else’s child or teenager in your own home in the short term or longer term. Foster carers are always needed, particularly those who can care for teenagers and sibling groups. In exchange for this the Council offers generous fees and allowances, structured training, interaction with existing foster carers and continuous, ongoing support – which is vital because carers are very much ‘part of a team’, working closely with social workers, other foster carers, adoptive families, teachers, doctors, other professionals and the child’s parents.
More information and related links:
Adoption
Adoption is a way of providing new families for children who cannot be brought up by their own parents. It is a legal process, which transfers all the responsibilities held by the child’s birth parents to the new adoptive parents. The adopters become the child’s legal parents through the granting of an Adoption Order by a Court.
More information and related links:
Family Link Caring
The provision of regular short breaks to disabled children and young people including those with learning difficulties, autism and physical impairments. This type of fostering offers a long-term relationship with a child or young person and their family. It suits people who can offer short breaks and who feel positive about disabled children and young people. Providing a short break for one of these children can be very rewarding and the commitment required can be as little as one weekend a month.
More information and related links:
Related Links
- The Adolescent and Children’s Trust (TACT)
TACT provide fostering or adoptive families for children and they campaign on behalf of children and young people in care, carers, their families and adoptive families.