Ever thought about changing lives in the most heartwarming way? Parent and child foster placement is your chance to do just that! 🤗 Imagine providing a safe, nurturing haven for both a struggling young parent and their child. It's about fostering unbreakable bonds, offering guidance, and empowering parents to build brighter futures with their child. Find out more by downloading our free guide here: https://f5fostercare.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Parent-and-Child-Fostering-Guide.pdf #FosterCare #MotherAndBabyFostering #BreakingTheCycle #FreeDownload

1. FOSTER CARERS
PARENT AND CHILD
#CHOOSETOMAKEADIFFERENCE

2. What is Parent and Child
Fostering
Welcome to the world of Parent and
Child Fostering, a unique and rewarding
journey that goes beyond traditional
fostering. This fact sheet is your guide to
understanding what Parent and Child
Fostering is, and how it differs from
fostering a child only.
Parent and Child Fostering is a specialised form of fostering that involves
providing a supportive home environment for both a parent and their child
together, usually this would be a young baby, however this is not always
the case. The aim is to empower parents with essential parenting skills
while observing and nurturing the parent-child relationship. Unlike
mainstream fostering, which mainly focuses on the child, Parent and Child
Fostering extends support to the parent(s) too. You would act as mentor
and guide to the parent and work alongside the Social Workers to ensure
the safety and protection of the baby/child at all times.
Parenting isn’t always easy, but your
support could really help a parent who is
finding it difficult.
Why might these placements be
needed?
Parent and child placements are usually called upon when the Local
Authority does not feel that it is safe for a child to be left in the sole care of
their birth parent(s), but they would like to provide the opportunity for the
parent and their baby to remain together in a supported environment
rather than just removing the child to place with a Foster Carer. This
provides the parent with the opportunity to “break the cycle” and develop
the skills they need in a supportive and nurturing home environment. The
Social workers will base their long-term decisions on how successful this
placement is (or sadly in some cases is not)

3. There are a number of factors that may lead to the need of a parent and
child placement, this could be due to parents not having the basic
necessary parenting skills, through to concerns about a parent’s own self-
care, emotional state of mind or sometimes them just needing a place of
safety.
Why might these placements be
needed? Cont.....
Aside from struggling with parenting skills, other potential reasons this kind
of placement may be requested by the local authority, could stem from the
parent being very young (possibly having been in care themselves),or they
could have a learning disability. In other cases, it may be a parent who has
had a previous child removed in the past or where there has been a history
of the misuse of (or they are currently withdrawing from) substances.
There are a whole host of reasons behind why these Parent and Child
placements may be needed, but the one thing that they all have in common
is that it provides the parent with a safe space to learn and develop the
skills they need to be able to keep their baby safe and hopefully keep the
family together for the long term.

4. The Parent will stay in the foster home with their child or baby until the
assessment is complete, this would usually take around 12 weeks, but if
needed they can be extended or, in other cases, they can be completed
quicker (particularly if there has been any safeguarding concerns or if the
parent decides they no longer wish to stay). If as hoped the outcome of
the Social Workers assessment is positive, the foster carer would support
the parent(s) and child to make the journey to their next home, this may
be with moving in with other family, independent living or supported living.
If the outcome is that the baby or child is to remain in care or go onto
adoption, the parent would move out and the foster parent would need to
support baby whilst family finding is underway.
How long do Parent and Child
fostering placements last ?
What are the responsibilities of Parent and Child
Foster Carers?
Parent and Child Foster Carers play a unique role in the observation and
development of how parents interact with their children. As mentioned
already, these carers become mentors, guides, and sources of
encouragement, empowering parents to create a safe and nurturing
environment for their children. In the safety and comfort of their home,
Parent and Child Foster Carers focus on developing parents' growth as
caregivers. Through patient guidance and open communication, they help
parents learn and acquire the skills they need to navigate the challenges
of parenthood. This could include:
Looking after their
baby, including,
feeding, bathing and
showing emotional
care.
How to handle their
money and budgeting
.
Household skills from
cooking 
and cleaning
to putting furniture
together.
Attending meetings
and appointments.

5. Carers create an atmosphere where parents feel safe to explore their
parenting strengths, address their concerns, and overcome any
insecurities. This support extends beyond mere instruction; it's about
building a foundation of confidence that enables parents to actively
engage with and take the lead on in their child's upbringing.
Furthermore, Parent and Child Foster Carers play a vital role in instilling
self-belief within parents who may have faced adversity or challenges in
the past. By offering a non-judgmental and empathetic environment, they
help parents recognise their strengths and potential. This support
empowers parents to overcome obstacles, supports healing from past
traumas, and to develop the necessary life skills they need to create a
nurturing home for them and their child(ren). Parent and Child Foster
Carers are not only fostering the growth of children but also acting as
beacons of hope for parents, guiding them towards becoming the strong
caregivers their children need.
It should also be noted that although these placements are designed to
provide parents with the opportunity to develop and demonstrate their
skills, the priority of the Foster Carer will always lay with the the safety
and protection of the baby/ child.

6. Social workers rely on the input of Parent and Child carers to make
informed decisions about the suitability of reunification, continued
support, or other permanency options. The foster carers' understanding
of the parent's strengths, progress, and challenges helps social workers
tailor their strategies and recommendations, ultimately shaping the future
stability and well-being of the family involved. Keeping this in mind it is
imperative that anyone who is interested in becoming a parent and Child
Foster Carer understands that they will need to complete thorough and
detailed records and observations which are to be shared with the Social
Worker. Additionally Carer's may also be asked to contribute towards
court reports or possibly in some cases appear at court hearings as
witness to provide your account of how the parent has or hasn't been
able to met the needs of their baby/child (support is always provided for
this). In this way, Parent and Child Foster Carers act as essential partners
in creating lasting positive outcomes for parents and children on their
journey to a more secure and nurturing future.
Contributing to assessments

7. Parent and Child Foster Carers offer constructive feedback and guidance,
to support healthy communication and understanding between parents
and their children. This active involvement encourages parents to explore
new approaches, embrace positive discipline methods, and ultimately
foster a sense of security and stability that promotes healthy attachment.
Parent and Child Foster Carers have the profound privilege of nurturing
family bonds, breaking cycles and hopefully enabling a family to stay
together.
Nurturing Family Bonds
Additional Support and Benefits:
All of our Foster Carers irrelevant of what type of placements they can
offer will benefit from exceptional levels of support and guidance, this
includes
Specialised Training
All of our Foster Carers at F5 are
supported with regular indepth
training which is completed
throughout the assessment and
beyond, however Parent and Child
Foster Carers receive additional
specialised training that equips
them with the skills needed to
support both parents and children
effectively.
Higher Fees
Whilst we understand that our
Parent and Child Foster Carers
are not in the role for the
financial rewards, it is absolutely
right that we recognise and
reward and all of the additional
responsibilities that come with
the role. So with this in mind, our
Parent and Child Foster Carers
receive higher fees of around
£800 per week.
However there are additional benefits to being a Parent and Chid Foster
Care that include:
Their own dedicated Social
Worker
At least monthly supervision
(usually more often for new
carers)
Ongoing telephone contact
Out of hours support
Access to support groups
Fully paid membership to
Foster Talk.

8. 0121 2710555
Team@f5fostercare.co.uk
Amington House, B25 8EP
www.f5fostercare.co.uk
We hope this fact sheet has been helpful for you and has answered any
questions you may have had about this unique way of supporting families,
however if you would like any further information or would like to talk to
one of our team about the steps you would need to take to become a
Parent and Child Foster Carer, please feel free to reach out to F5 Foster
Care on:
Could you be a Parent and Child Foster Carer?
Whilst there may be many people who would interested in supporting
families in this way, there are certain criteria that you would need to meet
in order to become a Parent and Child Foster Carer and we have added
these below.
A permanently available spare
bedroom that would be big enough
for both the parent and child to
share
Would need at least 1 Carer to be
available at home full time to
provide support and supervision
No previous convictions of a sexual
nature or relating to children
Has a nurturing and non
judgmental approach
Previous experience in family
support or at least 1 year
experience as a Foster Carer
Excellent written and verbal
communications skills
Proficient in the use of a computer
/ laptop
Confident to step in if the parent is
not meeting the needs of the child
Access to a vehicle to transport the
child if required