What Back to Bristol foster caring is, what you'll do in the role and the support you'll get.
Back to Bristol fostering is a specialist therapeutic fostering role, helping vulnerable children to move back to Bristol after living in residential homes across the country.
Why become a Back to Bristol foster carer
Bristol currently has over 90 children ranging from 6 to 17 years old living in residential homes outside of the city. These homes can be as far away as Scotland, Cumbria and Merseyside in the north and Cornwall, Kent, Essex and Suffolk in the south.
Children living outside the city are away from everything they know: their communities, schools and friends. If they're able to still see family members, it makes it difficult for them to maintain those important relationships.
Because they've been far away from all the things they're familiar with they're likely to have experienced significant trauma, so these children will need lots of love, care and support from their foster carers as they navigate being back in Bristol.
What you'll do in the role
One of our mantras is: relationships heal.
As a Back to Bristol foster carer you'll need to:
- enable a child to grow and rebuild connections within their local community
- build a highly supportive relationship with a child that allows them to feel safe
- help a child who will have missed out on development to catch up and learn skills
- improve the health, education and future of a very vulnerable child
- work closely with a team and other carers who will support you every step of the way
Watch a short video on the skills you need to become a Back to Bristol therapeutic foster carer
The support you'll get
The support offer for Back to Bristol foster carers includes:
- allocation of a supervising social worker
- access to foster carer training
- access to Bristol Foster Carer Association
- a programme of events and wellbeing opportunities
- intensive support from Bristol's Therapeutic Support Service team with access to their Intensive Therapeutic support programme including:
- one to one consultations
- a carer support group
- support for the foster child in school and for school staff via education worker
- one to one skills coaching for the foster child
- daily carer reports around positives and challenges
- regular reviews with the carer, the foster child and others in the carer's fostering family and network
The background of children you'll foster
The child you'll look after as a Back to Bristol foster carer may:
- have a history of repeated moves from other foster carers
- have significant difficulties in school
- have verbal or physical aggressive behaviour
- have alcohol or substance abuse
- be at risk of criminal or sexual exploitation
- have self-harming behaviour
Fees
As a Back to Bristol foster carer, you'll receive an enhanced fee of £1,000 per week.
This enhanced fee of £1,000 per week could mean that you do not need to be in any other employment. This will make sure you have the time to commit to supporting the child in your care.
