Fostering in West Yorkshire

If you have ever thought about fostering we'd love to have a chat with you and help you decide whether it is right for you and your circumstances.

Our foster families come from all backgrounds, but they have a common goal of improving the lives of vulnerable young people. The majority of Unity's fostering Families have come to us with no experience. and we have given them the training, support and guidance they have need to help turnaround young lives.

To be one of our fostering families, you will need to have at least one spare bedroom as each young person requires their own space. However, siblings can share in certain circumstances.

So, if fostering is something you've ever thought of, let's have a chat and see if Fostering is right for you.

You can give us a call on 03337722333 or fill in an enquiry form and we'll call you back.

How we support our Foster Carers....

Our focus is on providing the best outcomes for our children. To achieve great outcomes we aim to offer the highest levels of support and training to our carers. We work in small teams which provide local support to our foster parents.

Our support systems our provided by our social workers 24/7/365. So if you are ever out of our comfort zone you can get in touch for advice at any time.

Supporting our carers is one of our main priorities at Unity. We ensure all our foster carers feel well trained in dealing with any situation. We provide a 24/7 support line too so if you are ever out of our comfort zone you can get in touch for advice at any time.

In addition to this we also offer:

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Regular participation and activity events for children, carers and birth families

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12 days paid respite (holiday)

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Regular emotional support to the carer's birth children and provision of a Children's Forum

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Continuous training and development

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Our practice and the support we offer is informed by TCI (Therapeutic Crisis Intervention), PACE, (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy) and therapeutic re-parenting which allows our carers to manage a wide range of complex and challenging behaviours to help vulnerable children

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Mandatory and bespoke training packages for carers, to address children's individual needs

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Regular carer forum, support groups and a carer mentoring scheme

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Regular formal supervision by a qualified Supervising Social Worker

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Promptly paid fostering allowances and fees

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Free membership of Foster Talk which offers advice on a range of issues you may come across

Should or could I become a foster carer?

There’s a lot of things for you to consider before starting the process of becoming a Foster Carer. You'll find some information which may help you decide. If there is something you want to ask which isn't answered on this site, feel free to get in touch. We really don't mind.

"Children and young people are positively engaged in education and make good progress, which improves their future prospects significantly."

Ofsted

Why Unity Foster Care?

Here's what some of carers say.......

"When we were looking at IFAs, Unity really stood out.  We loved the whole set up, how Unity have an upper limit cap on foster carers so that the "family" feel isn't lost.  Everybody knows everybody else.  When you need to call the out of hours number for support, you generally speak to someone you know and have met.  There's a real openness and you really are "one of the team".  We have been VERY impressed at the training/support offered.  We're REALLY looking forward to a long partnership with Unity, if you're thinking about Fostering ... DO IT!  Having an initial home visit holds no obligations and the bubbly Sarah will give you an instant feel of what Unity is all about!"

DC - FOSTER CARER - LEEDS

"We just want to say a massive thank you for everything you've done, you have been a massive support to us both and we can't thank you enough, looking forward to continuing working with you in our journey as Foster carers thank you x"

K&P - FOSTER CARER - TEESSIDE

"Unity seemed to be offering that high level of support for all concerned. I can state unreservedly that we have definitely made the correct choice for us so far."

KK - FOSTER CARER - HULL

FAQS

 We understand you may have some questions around the process of becoming a foster parent so we compiled a list of the ones we are asked on a regular basis

Foster Care is about caring for a child or young person in your own home.  For a whole variety of reasons children are placed with foster carers by children’s social care services.  Some of these children may eventually return to their families.  In some cases, this may take a matter of days or weeks, in others it may take much longer. Some children may go on to be adopted or some may stay in foster care on a long-term or permanent basis.

Foster care provides the opportunity for children to live in a family home environment. Foster carers are members of the public who have been trained and assessed to care for looked after children. Foster carers work with fostered children and other relevant agencies to maintain routines and high-quality care. 

Children who do live within a foster family are encouraged to develop and succeed whilst they may be experiencing a difficult period in their life. 

Once we have conducted an initial visit and assessment of your home, you will be provided with an Application Pack.  You will need to complete certain forms and return them to us.  Once received we will commence the statutory checks and arrange a medical with your GP. You will be allocated an Assessing Social Worker, who will conduct your assessment.  This will include enquiries into your background, character, health and your overall family circumstances, plus your experiences and strengths as a carer.  Once the Assessing Social Worker has completed their assessment, they prepare a report about you called a Form F.  This Form F is then presented to our fostering panel once you have signed to confirm its accuracy.  The Fostering Panel is made up of people from Health, Education, Foster Care and other appropriately experienced people, who make recommendations to approve foster carers. 

We undertake various checks on applicants and members of their household. These are some of the checks we do;

  • Identity Checks – to confirm your identity and address
  • Relationship Status – to ascertain that you are single or in a stable relationship
  • Personal References – to get the viewpoint of people that know you well and can discuss your previous experiences with children and how you can transfer these skills to fostering
  • Health Checks – to confirm that you can cope physically and mentally with the demands of caring for children
  • Enhanced DBS Checks – on you and other household members aged 18 years and over. This is to ensure that a child in your care would not be at risk. 

As part of the assessment, you will be expected to attend a short training programme known as ‘Skills to Foster’.

Foster Care can be a demanding task.  You will certainly need good health, an understanding of the difficulties faced by parents and a commitment to the welfare of children which is shared and support by all family members. 

See more here

You will receive preparation and training from Unity Foster Care before any placement is made, and you will be asked to consider the implications upon yourself and your family of fostering and of any placement you may consider. 

Intensive support will be provided during the initial stages of a placement.  This will reduce to monthly visits by your Supervising Social Worker only if, and when the placement is settled.  However, throughout any placement, support will be available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. You will also be entitled to respite support to enable you to get a break. 

THINKING ABOUT BECOMING A FOSTER CARER IN WEST YORKSHIRE?

Leave your details with us and we will be in touch to answer any questions you may have.

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