Foster a Future - Newcastle City Council

Foster a FutureStatement of Purpose• Foster Carer Reviewing Officers - every foster carer and shared care carer has anannual review to ensure that they are meeting the standards required of them.• Fostering Under Newcastle (FUN) is the foster carer group. Its aims are:- To be in a partnership with Social Services - giving carers a voice- To provide a group for carers to turn to for help, advice and support- To raise awareness of the general public about the work undertaken by fostercarers- To suggest changes to the Fostering Service to benefit carers- To support carers with practical assistance.Fostering Under Newcastle organise social activities for foster carers, children andyoung people, mails a monthly newsletter to all its members, and holds supportsessions for carers. The Executive Committee and the education and finance subcommitteeshave regular meetings with the Head of Children's Services and the Headof the Fostering Unit to plan and make joint decisions.The Directorate part funds the group and provides office accommodation and servicesupport facilities at the Walker Social Work OfficeAdvocacy, consultation, and out of hours helpIn addition to partnership support, the Fostering Service funds an IndependentAdvocacy and Advice Service provided by the Fostering Network. This service willprovide help and assistance to foster carers, and advocate on behalf of foster carers,if they are subject to an allegation of abuse or if they are unhappy with thedecisions of the Fostering Panel.Regular consultation takes place with foster carers/shared care carers to help theFostering Service identify and provide the support foster carers and shared carecarers need.During the evenings and at weekends, foster carers can access support from the Outof Hours Helpline Service, staffed by experienced foster carers from the NewcastleFostering Service. These will advise and assist appropriately, or if circumstancesrequire, contact the Emergency Duty Team to provide qualified social work assistanceor intervention. In addition the service looks closely at matching new carers withexperienced carers with a view to support and mentoring.Placement AgreementsWhenever a child is places with a foster carer, the supervising social worker has theresponsibility of chairing a Placement Agreement Meeting either prior to theplacement being made or immediately upon the placement being made. At thismeeting the Placement Agreement is completed and signed.The Placement Agreement constitutes the contract between the foster carer andNewcastle City Council in respect of the placement and outlines in detail the needsof the child, the services to be provided by the carer and the support that will beoffered by the child’s social worker and the supervising social worker.Management StructureDirector of Children’s ServicesHead of Children’s Social Care and SafeguardingCorporate Parenting ManagerRegistered Service Manager FosteringDeputy TeamManager19 Social Workers2 Resource WorkersDeputy TeamManager10 11