Therapeutic fostering

[Surburbia]

Nexus - an agency we are considering - offers what they call 360 fostering which is for foster children who would otherwise go into residential care. The package offers extra support for carer and therapy for child.

Has anyone experience of this kind of fostering and how does it differ from 'normal' fostering.

Would love to hear of your experiences

Lots of fostering services call themselves 'therapeutic fostering' but it differs from place to place. Its usually a let down in terms of what they actually offer. They might offer the carers input into how to adapt their parenting responses to ensure that the child's trauma is not triggered or replicated by adult responses around them. Ive not known of them actually supply therapy to the child but some residential services do at times, not all the time
Children who actually 'need' residential care are quite rare, most children are placed in residential care because of a simple lack of foster placements for children who have higher need than the average child, bu the parenting they need is what they would receive within a foster placement. That cant be replicated in residential care and so they are disadvantaged by it overall. Outcomes for children in residential care are worse overall than those in foster care although there are always exceptions of course.

Interesting. I was intrigued because all foster children I've been told have suffered trauma. I guess it's a matter of degree.

Yes its the degree. Theres the obvious basic loss of losing their home/parent despite how bad abuse or neglect they may have experienced, they will suffer loss and confusion about coming into care.
But then their experiences in their parents care may also result in trauma, perhaps they have been physically/sexually abused, perhaps neglect to some degree, perhaps seen DV and violence, perhaps had chaotic and confusing responses to them from parents without capacity/MH/drug use etc
This all affects attachment development and a sense of self. The child may also have layers of other disadvantage, perhaps they have learning needs, or other disorders which make interaction and education difficult.
The majority of children in residential care are there because their presenting beahviour in a foster placement is hard to manage for the average adult, hitting, kicking, property damage, hurting other children or animals, fire setting, smearing etc. There are some amazing carers who will work with these issues and manage them and accept them and slowly over time some of that minimises but might never go away completely dependent on the child.
A good therapist will admit that the best therapy is good, solid, predictable safe parenting, consistency is key but unfortunately due to the high needs of some children carers give notice regularly, residential placements give notice regularly which means children get shunted around to place to place which means that it replicates the experiences of loss or disjointed parenting they originally experienced. A huge sense of rejection which in turn prompts behaviour which encourages others around them to reject, a self fullfilling prophecy if you like.

@bellac11 thank you for your full reply. I see. That makes it very clear. Very sad and hats off to foster carers who go into this kind of fostering.

i work for Capstone Foster Care and they offer therapeutic placements - they call is MATTS (multi assessment and treatment therapeutic service).

the carers get enhanced pay, weekly therapy for themselves and then the child gets whatever assessments and/or therapy are appropriate for them.