Working and fostering

[Futuregoals2024]

Hello, I'm looking for some advice. I was wondering what the viability of fostering and working in my circumstances would be. I'll list out circumstances below and would appreciate any thoughts.

Fostering a school age child long term (not respite as have looked at this and I know I can do this but for purpose of this thread would like advice on viability of longer term).

Continuing to work 22.5 hours a week (or what would be realistic) in school hours.

As a single foster carer with no support network.

Would it be better if I was retired / semi retired? This will be aged 55-60 on which case I was thinking supported lodgings may be more realistic.

*in which case

Thanks in advance.

Although most people will tell you it's better if you can foster full time, the reality is lots of foster carers do work alongside fostering as everyone has to make ends meet. However it's not so much the number of hours that are the issue as the need for flexibility. There are lots of meetings and things that come up with foster children and if your hours are fixed it can get trickier to accommodate these. This will especially be the case when a child first moves in as even if the plan is for them to stay long term, legally it's unlikely to be long term arrangement from day 1, this would be agreed further down the line. Once they become matched long term it's usually more settled and straightforward.

Re the support network, in this position I'd be looking for an agency that offers the Mockingbird model, it's tough doing it alone.

DH and I used to foster and we found that one of us really needed to be at home full time. Our area prefers you to have a main carer at home anyway.

We were constantly being called into meetings with school, the police, the YP’s social worker, our social worker, court, YOT, etc. We had one YP constantly sent home from school and then wasn’t allowed back in until we’d all had a meeting.

Depends how flexible and understanding your work are I guess. My work was to begin with, but it all got a bit too much for everyone in the end so I quit.

Thanks. That all looks a bit impossible. My savings will be too high for benefits. I can't think of a job where I wouldn't annoy an employer or client if I had to keep moving days or meetings. So it will be respite for now.

As a single foster carer with no support network

This doesn’t sound ideal. Even to get through the application process, they’ll want to ensure you have robust support for emergencies etc and they’ll want to interview those people.

the agency I used to be with when fostering stipulated the main carer wouldn’t be able to work. As PP says, you may have meetings, contact, a child not at school. I fostered with DP so in our case I did also work part time freelancing and later got a job for 18 hours a week or so. Because DP was available to do the meetings etc. As a single person you would struggle.

Call your local authority; see what they say and what they could suggest. There is such a shortage of foster carers that they’re finding creative ways to make things work; other foster carers can become your support network for one thing and they would have to carefully match a child with you

If you’re available after school then meetings can be scheduled for then as would contact. Your main issues are school holidays and if the child is off sick but that’s the same for a working parent so most workplaces would treat a foster child being off sick in the same way as your own child. A lot of workplaces are more fostering friendly than you might think and through fostering network you can find out if they are as there’s a scheme

I'm going to an info evening about respite care in July. I remember hearing about Mockingbird, it's a great initiative.

Talk to the foster team, there's lots of ways you could help support a young girl person eg my brother was matched with a teen in foster care and he simply takes him out once a month for a treat (he gets a small allowance for doing it but generally adds to it) like a foster uncle, plus talks/texts as the young person wishes.

Someone else I know is fostering a pregnant 17 year old and intention is to remain with her until baby is 2-3 years old assuming the mother copes with being a mum (kicked out by her parents).

Neither of these are the traditional model but can fit around your life potentially

Definitely start with respite or short breaks. It's a great way to get started. I sit on fostering panels and I actually wish many carers would start this way to get an idea of what they might have to deal with. So many head right into a full time placement and just cannot cope and end up resigning.

There is someone near me who is a single foster carer who works. Not sure about her support network though.

There is also a huge demand for respite foster care, so people who have a child for odd weekends or overnights to give families with disabled kids or full time foster carers a break.

Maybe you could try that and see how it goes and move to full time foster care of you get on ok?

I foster have been for over 19 years, next week I have 2 hospital appointments for one young person, a pep (personal education plan) that is done during school time a child in care review meeting (held every 6 months and attended by all professionals involved in child’s care, teacher, health worker, social worker and so on) they will only do this during school hours, my Annual Review and a mandatory training session, the training sessions again are only held during school hours.
I foster for our local authority so can only speak of my experience with them but it wouldn’t be possible for me to also work full time as there are just too many meetings a lot of which are organised at very short notice.
As part of my approval process they also interviewed my ‘support network’ and asked lots about who was around to support me.
There is a real demand for respite workers though so as others have suggested that may be a good way to start and see how you find it.

I was a full time secondary teacher and DH also worked full time but with some flexibility in working start times. We fostered a DC long term from 5 years and he will be 18 in July. I only gave up teaching when he was 13. We used the after school club and I was home during the school holidays. There is such a shortage of foster carers they may agree to you fostering a school aged DC if you can use an after school club. There is a shortage of spaces for teens. If the child was under 5 the expectation is you are at home with them.

I forgot to add I don't foster directly for the LA but through an agency who the LA out source the more complex cases too.

Gonna be honest so I apologise in advance.... but its not going to work. If you go with a LA they will say they do not pay you to stay at home, if you are with a private fostering agency they pay more but you may not get the support needed and they expect you to be stay at home.
Do you have a job that is flexible? Meaning can leave to attend meetings, drop off and pick up from contact and/or school or if you have children NOT in school can you stay home with them etc? Otherwise it may not work and you will use all your annual leave.
You mentioned your single. Have you got family and friends that can assist( BIM they will have to have CRB's etc).
Do you have a career? It can be challenging trying to balance the demands of fostering as a 'profession' with your career, whilst many may not agree its very different to having your own children where you do not have to do paperwork, diaries, LAC meeting, supervisions etc.
What happens when you find a partner? issues with CRBs and them being interviewed can be a little different than introducing biological kids.
I'm not saying this to put you off in anyway but I'm single, no children biologically and fostering for 14 years. Think very carefully as they do not tell you negatives at open evenings.

I think it’s possible but difficult.
I know a couple of single carers who are teachers but they do supply so that they can drop their days if need be to support the child.
some weeks they do 3-4 days, other weeks none at all. Depends on how many fostering commitments there are that week (supervision, meetings, family time, training etc).

I agree with all these points. Genuinely curious how single people manage it financially. You're working reduced hours ad hoc, paying rent or mortgage on a 2 bed plus bills and receive an allowance of around 10k. Do you have low or no housing costs?

A lot of the single cars I know are retired and have paid off their mortgage, so have pension & fostering allowance and no mortgage/rent.

not all of course.

some foster and don’t work but claim universal credit to enable them to do it.

What kind of age are they?

Would you not need to be on universal credit to start with during the assessment process? I don't quite understand how it works.

The retired ones tend to be 55+ and maybe getting a private pension before their state pension kicks in.

with UC, they tend to wait until they’re approved before leaving work and then claim. It can take a while to process so no good if you have no savings at all. No guarantees of a child being placed immediately.

part of the assessment includes a financial assessment and how you will manage if you have a period with no child and therefore no fostering allowance. UC will usually state a period you can be without a child before they ask you to look for other work….. 6 weeks rings a bell but I’m not certain about.

Thank you. Sorry to ask so many questions. What age do the 55+ foster?

You can foster any age, regardless of your own age. I used to foster and work. When I started to foster I was part of a couple but we split up. It's doable and as people have said, there is a desperate shortage of foster carers. If you go for an agency though they actually pay you a salary so you don't need to work.

All ages.
I work with carers in their 20s right through to late 70s and they care for a range of ages 0-18 and sometimes young adults too.
depends on what age will work best for them.

Oh wow thats really encouraging. As I don't think I can do it right now, expect respite care, but something to work towards.