Welcome To Wirral

Permanency planning

Most children’s long term plans are to return home to their family. For some children long term foster care may be required. Other options may also be explored such as placement with adoptive families, Special Guardians or supporting family and friends to apply for Residence Orders. Some foster carers, at their request, may be supported to become Special Guardians or adoptive families of the children they have looked after.

Short breaks for children with disabilities

Children with disabilities and their parents may be given a break, for a few days each month, usually at weekends. It also gives the children a chance to make new friends and broaden their horizons. Foster carers are usually linked with the same child for as long as the service is required. This service is extremely valuable as it supports parents to continue caring for their child. It recognises that caring can be full-time task and parents can benefit from a break.

Family link

Children may need to be given a break from difficult family circumstances that may arise due to a crisis. The breaks are usually at weekends but are sometimes during the week depending on the availability of the carers. Foster carers are linked with children for up to 12 months and may care for them once or twice a month. This is an extremely valuable service which relieves the stress on families and helps them to stay together long-term.

Remand Fostering

Young people who have been remanded to the care of the council by the courts are sometimes placed in the homes of foster carer. This is usually for short periods of time although it can last for several months if a court case is delayed. The foster carers are expected to carry out the requirements of the court – which might include a curfew. The young person will have been charged with criminal offences and needs security and a clear routine whilst awaiting court dates.

Out of hours

Some foster carers offer emergency care, which is usually 1 –3 days. They will need to be prepared to take a child in the middle of the night. Emergency foster care is used when ‘out of hours’ social workers feel it is essential to look after a child away from home suddenly. Longer term plans will then be considered for the child during the next working day, or the child will return home as soon as the crisis is over. For example, a lone parent has been rushed into hospital or a small child has been left at home alone and no relatives can be found to care for them and they need a safe place to go for the night.

Workers will contact the family the next day and consider whether it is safe for the child to return home or if a short-term foster placement should be found. The local authority will start working with the family to help them tackle any problems they have in caring for their child.

Treatment foster care programmes

For children and young people aged 6-16 years with complex emotional, behavioural and mental health difficulties Wirral has developed two complementary intensive fostering programmes:

• Therapeutic fostering
• Fostering changes

Both these programmes offer the following:

• Single placement for the young person with the foster carer
• An intensive package of support from the Child Mental Health Service, Education and Social Care
• Short term placements aimed at achieving change with the child/young person within a timescale of 6-18 months before a planned move
• 24 hour, 7 day a week support for the foster carer
• Training and development opportunities
• An opportunity to work as a member of a team making a real difference to the quality of a child’s life
• 4 weeks paid holiday per year

As these placements are intensive the children or young people need foster carers, at least one of whom is available full time and do not have other children or young people under the age of 16 living in the family home.