Fostering Babies: Merseyside, Cheshire, Lancashire

[Susiesag]

Hi All, I'm new to Mumsnet - I have a query, can anyone help? I want to foster babies (e.g. those going to be adopted) and wondered if anyone has had any experience of that in my area. Trying to find out which LA's or agencies are sympathetic to this. Getting some 'grumpy' people on the end of the phone, so thought it would be useful to have some idea of other's experiences.
Many thanks.
Susie

Susie, I am a foster carer approved for 0-2, I am not sure you can specify that you only want children who are going for adoption, as it (or certainly is here) the policy that all children should be placed within the birth family if possibly, there are very few babies that are voluntary relinquished.

From the recent posts on MN there seems to be quite a few LA's that have stopped taking on people who only take babies as they have surplus carers for this age group, and certainly this is the case with the LA that I work with.

IFA rarely have babies, as they are the easiest age group to place, so you would be better sticking your search to LA's

but it is certainly worth contacting the LA's that you live close to, it is sad to hear that any of them are being grumpy :(

Good luck with it :)

I'm in Lancashire and my LA has just changed it's policy so that all foster carers are approved for 0-18. You can specify an age range preference but I know I'll feel awful saying no if I'm contacted to take a child older than I'd like.

As Squidgy said, you really are limiting yourself if you specify you only want babies, and relinquished babies in addition to that. They're so few and far between that I suspect most LA's won't want to invest money on support/training for you :( I know this isn't what you want to hear.

Is there any reason you wouldn't take a baby who could return to birth family? Most of the children I've looked after have gone home and although it's often difficult it CAN be very rewarding seeing a mum change and get her baby back.

(Re agencies - I know someone who's fostered for an agency for 18 years and she's just finished looking after her first baby. And he was moved to a LA carer the minute one came free. LAs just don't have the money now and will only use an agency for the most difficult to place children)

One other little thought - caring for a baby who goes on to adoption can be just as difficult as they're often with you longer (despite everything in the papers at the moment about court cases taking too long I've found that adoptive parents can be incredibly picky (understandably maybe) and things that foster carers come to take for granted like attachment issues and odd behaviour seem to make even babies and toddlers difficult to place)

I work on Merseyside and our foster carers (LA) can still specify an age range that they want, although one, who always only said babies has just been persuaded to take a few children between 2-5.

That is always the hope as foster children are placed as close to the cotact center as possible, so there is always a shortage.

We always try to place babies in families, but in cases were the older children have been removed and adopted, we know that the baby will be going to adoption. We are never allowed to discount that that won't be the case, as the law tells us to look to a birth family member. Your attitude not to want to have contact with birth families may be off putting to agencies, as you will have to bring the baby to contact and keep the birth family informed. You will also have to attend LAC meetings, were the birth family are present.

Tbh most of our babies who are certain to go to adoption have health problems.

up until recently i only fostered pre-adoption babies, these were not reliquinshed babies but babies that for whatever reason, could not go back to parents. there is a need for carers of this type in lancashire (i foster for lancs) as there is currently a shortage. HOWEVER lancs has just recently changed its approval to a blanket approval, meaning that all carers now get approved for 3 kiddies aged 0-18. you can however still specify the age you want. i mean i have stated i will only take babies and that is fine and i have been re-approved on that basis. your best bet is to go along to a introduction evening and listen to what they have to say x