Fostering and working

[wonderwander]

I'd like to know how feasible/allowed it is to work while being a foster carer? This would be as a single carer.

You’d need an exceptionally understanding employer.

Your work can be impacted in so many ways - long meetings with your social worker, child’s social
worker, child’s school, often more than average child medical appointments, compulsory training courses, compulsory review meetings, and last but should be most important meeting child’s needs, driving to inconvenient schools, schools holidays, inset days etc. And your weekends and evenings will be writing reports and diary organising and supporting contact with child’s family, homework, meeting agreed needs eg church, hobbies. And that’s just when things are going well. If there is a problem then it’s the above at short notice with lots of adding in cancelling and rearranging meetings.

Your need to be at work will be nowhere in anyone’s priority list once there is an child
in your care and everyone will expect you to work to their priorities.

As per above poster, it's possible but it's difficult. There are lots of meetings, contact, plus having to be there for the child. I'm trying to think if I've ever known a single foster carer who worked full time. I think there was one but she had a good support network who did a lot of childcare.

There are plenty of foster carers working part time, but if you are a single carer it needs to be a pretty flexible job. Strict 9-5 or shifts are not going to work.

We have a teenage FC. I work 3 days a week, and my husband works FT (2 days wfh) and we manage around it just fine. The social work team supported us by finding another carer to help 1 day a week after school (from 3.30-4.30)When we spoke to our ssw about this s0he was happy for this arrangement. Saying it very much the family dynamic now that there's not always one person at home.

Just wanted to come back with a couple of suggestions @wonderwander if full time work is non negotiable.

Firstly you could look into respite fostering, which is often at weekends. This is a common route into full time fostering.

Also look at Supported Lodgings where you provide a home and support to a care leaver aged 16+. This is an option for young people who are studying or working and and don't need the same intensity of support, so is compatible with full time work.

You need to have some gaps during the week for meetings. Last week we had 6 hours of meetings over three days. This is unusual, of course, but these things happen.

Both DH and I are retired, so have flexible time, but it is still a juggle.