Types of Placement

We aim to recruit foster carers that are able to offer suitable placements to children and young people aged between 6 and 18 years.  We are able to consider younger children if part of a sibling group.

Please remember that the children and young people who may have experienced difficult circumstances and adversity, may exhibit impaired physical and emotional development.  This can be physically and emotionally demanding on the foster carer.  The carer needs to be able to manage this successfully to help prevent a child or young person experiencing further disruption in their lives and ensure they receive the emotional support, time and patience needed to secure a successful outcome.  Foster carers are required to transport children/ young people to contact sessions with their birth family and any health, education and therapy appointments.

Placements are carefully considered; the needs of the young person are identified and then matched to the skills and experience of the foster carers.

Many of the children and young people who have been placed with our carers have been successful and we believe this is because our placements are carefully matched and planned with proper introductions. The young person, foster carers and social workers are all involved and the introductions take place within the carer’s home.  We believe it is important that young people and carers have the chance to meet one another, which in turn provides an opportunity for the children/young people and foster carers’ time to consider whether it is right for them.  We do expect our carers to be resilient and to work hard in challenging circumstances and once approved sign a foster carer agreement and code of conduct, which supports good working practices.

Short Term Placements
Some of our foster carers undertake short-term placements.  In our scheme this can be anything up to two years. 

New Routes recognises that whilst every effort is made to secure long term solutions for young people with minimum delay the process can be lengthy.  Because of this we can consider temporary placements for up to two years to enable appropriate long term child care plans to be made.

With most short term placements we will always aim to ensure introductions take place; you can expect this to take place over a short period of time, e.g 1-2 weeks.  Being responsive to this need is important, as sometimes there are situations where a child or young person may need to be placed more quickly than is normally the case.

Assessment Placements
Carers are expected to observe and record the young person’s emotional, educational, health and personal development and identify areas of difficulty and positive outcomes.  Carers may be asked to help compile reports in order to ascertain specialised support that may be required in particular circumstances.

Parent and Child Assessment Placements
We sometimes seek to provide a placement for a pregnant young mother or a parent and baby.  In these placements the foster carer is often best placed to help provide advice and support, observe and contribute to the assessment of the young mothers parenting skills.  The foster carer will be expected, with support, to provide appropriate reports for Local Authorities and the courts.

Bridging Placements
Foster Carers may help a young person by working with their birth parents towards rehabilitation, helping the young person to achieve independence, helping a young person to move to another placement or helping young people adjust from being placed from residential into foster care.

Long term/permanency placements
Foster Carers can offer long term/permanency for specific young people placed within our scheme.  Foster Carers will be expected to undertake additional training.

Respite
Within the project we can offer respite to our carers.  Again this is normally planned with introductions.