Jobs and Careers - Wales 2012/13 - (Page 12)

foster care CARING AND SHARING We take a snapshot of a career in foster care... F oster care has traditionally been recognised as a way for people to better the lives of children by taking them into their own homes and looking after them. Foster carers share this responsibility of care with a local authority or the child’s parents, whether this is on a short- or long-term basis. It is a way of providing help and care to children whose parents are unable to look after them. All children deserve a loving home environment in which they can feel safe and where they are able to get away from at time serious problems, which could include domestic violence or drugs misuse. This rewarding opportunity is now being perceived as an opportunity for professionals to excel as well as bene t the lives of children. Children’s wellbeing obviously remains the impetus for the sector, but more and more people and organisations alike are realising the additional nancial gains of fostering. families for teenagers) attracting people to foster as a career is an intelligent way to help vulnerable children and decrease unemployment simultaneously. In addition, one of the most signi cant problems that fostering is confronting presently is that almost two-thirds of foster carers are over the age of 50. EARN AND LEARN As well as gaining transferable skills through foster care, you can study for a quali cation such as an NVQ (National Vocational Quali cation). The most appropriate NVQ for foster carers is The Level 3 Diploma for the Children and Young People’s Workforce, which allows you to develop your expertise in childcare. It’s not only personal development that can be bene ted by fostering: it can prove a remunerative career option. When starting out as a foster carer you have two options with whom you can progress, these being Independent Fostering Agencies (IFAs) and Local Authorities (LAs). They both provide allowances for carers that are designed to cover the cost of travel, food and clothes as well as a fee for the child or children you are caring for. The average allowance and fee provided by IFAs is around £380 per week. And so, the mutual bene ts of becoming a foster care professional to helpless children – and those looking for employment – makes it bene cial to all concerned. With a national shortage of foster carers – looking at the sector as an opportunity for career development ensures this societal issue can be recti ed to the advantage of many a jobseeker... This rewarding opportunity is now being perceived as an opportunity for professionals to excel as well as bene t the lives of children. RUNNING LOW With a national shortage in foster carers (for instance, a survey by the Fostering Network of 128 fostering services found that 98 per cent have a current shortage of foster The shortage of carers also means that there is less choice for social services to place children, resulting in many children being separated from their siblings or moved from home to home – which can be traumatic especially for already troubled children. The aim of foster care is to provide stability for children so by ensuring there are as many carers as possible means that they will be matched to a well-suited carer from the start. www.jobsandcareersmag.com 11 http://www.jobsandcareersmag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Jobs and Careers - Wales 2012/13

THE FAIRY JOBMOTHER
THE BURN TO LEARN
FOSTER A CAREER
REGIONAL GUIDE

Jobs and Careers - Wales 2012/13