Children and young people

Are you ready to accept the challenge?

• Have you and your family got the ability, flexibility and commitment to care?
• Have you got a spare room in your house?
• Would you like to work primarily in your own home?
• Could you work to meet the needs and demands of children, teenagers, young people?
• Are you prepared and able to work closely with social workers and other professionals?
• Are you keen to learn and undertake relevant training?

Have you got what it takes?

There are different ways to help meet the needs of different children and their families:

Respite care

Respite carers are a team of people who:

• help with parenting skills;
• work with one to 14-year-olds;
• produce assessments and reports;
• provide short-term emergency placements;
• are available at short notice;
• offer planned care;
• work for the council;
• operate from their own homes;
• give support to families.

Supported lodgings

The role of supported accommodation is to help and assist a young person with practical and social skills before they move on to live on their own. It is essentially a stepping-stone to independent living.

Adoption - a family for life

• Adoption means taking on full legal responsibility for a child as if the child were your own.
• Nowadays most children needing adoption are between two and 10 years old.
• All these children will have had a poor start in life and some will have emotional and behavioural problems.
• Some children will be part of family groups who need to be placed together with their brothers and sisters.
• Some children have special medical or educational needs.
• Adopters come from many different backgrounds and experiences – married couples, single parents and single people. Some adopters are childless and some already have children of their own.
• Adopters need to have lots of time, love, patience and understanding. They need to be in good health and energetic.
• Adoption can be hard work and challenging but also very rewarding.

Foster care

Fostering is about looking after a child or children within your own home for when they are unable to be with their own family. Some children may need to stay with a foster family for a short period such as a few weeks or months, while others may need longer. In some cases this may mean until they reach adulthood.

Children who need fostering can come from all ages and backgrounds.

Some of the children’s needs may be for:

• brothers and sisters to remain together;
• mother and baby;
• children with disabilities;
• teenagers and young people.

Fostering can be difficult at times but also very rewarding.

Medway Council is ready and keen to hear from you. Ask now for more information on these different ways of working with children and families.

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