Home: Community full menu: Social care and health:Fostering
Respite/Support Carers
Janet Matley - June 2007
family.placement@kirklees.gov.uk
We believe that wherever possible children should be looked after by their parent(s) but sometimes parents need considerable help to continue caring for their children, many may not have any reliable support from family or friends. |
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Providing short break care with foster carers may help with this. It will give children experiences of family life which they may not get within their own families.
The children are matched to a carer and stay with the same carers for planned breaks often once a month for the weekend or may be some time during the week after school. The arrangements can be flexible according to the childs needs.
Some respite carers support foster carers in meeting the needs of the children placed with them.
Who can become a carer
We need carers from all walks of life to support different types of families and children - you may be single, married or with a partner, any age, from any culture or religion and you do not need to have your own children .
However, you must have enough space within your home to accommodate an extra child, you must be in reasonably good health and there must be nothing in your family situation which would suggest that any child in your care would be at risk of harm.
You will also need to be able to have a good working relationship with the childs own family or carer.
All our short break carers receive training prior to approval and matching to a child . You will also have on going support from your own worker following approval and placement of the child / young person
We carry out the same range of police, health and other checks as with full time carers to ensure the safety of all children looked after.
We are looking for people who can offer support at short notice at weekends and school holidays. Carers may offer time to a number of children
and their friends.
You will also have the opportunity to meet with other carers doing the same task on a regular basis
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