Open your door to fostering

More foster carers are needed to help care for children and young people in the East Riding.

Sometimes children are unable to live with their own family. This may be due to a crisis in the family, ill health, relationship difficulty or bereavement. It could also be because the child needs to be protected. This is where foster carers come in, providing a safe, secure, and loving home. The time children stay may vary from day care or overnight stays to regular planned weekends or holiday stays, to weeks, months or years.

Different types of fostering may work better for certain families. Some foster carers provide vital emergency fostering for a few nights, others provide short-term fostering while plans are made for the child’s future. Some foster carers provide short break care for children who are disabled, have special needs or behavioural difficulties, meaning parents or usual foster carers can have a break. There are also families who support young, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, and some foster carers provide long-term fostering for children who need to be looked after until they are adults. Assessments to become a foster carer takes around four months.

Wendy and Liam Duthie have been foster carers for East Riding Fostering for four years. They have two biological children of their own, Dawson and Delilah. Wendy said: “When our children turned two and four, it felt the right time to be able to become foster carers. We had a spare bedroom and lots of love to give.

“Over the last four years we have fostered nine babies and it has brought a lot of joy to our family. When I began telling people we were going to foster, a lot of people asked how our children would cope. Our children have found it a really positive experience, and they help with breakfast and teach the children phonics.

"Every child’s circumstance has been different, and we are so pleased to have been able to give each child the care and love they needed at that time in their lives.”

100 percent of East Riding foster carers said they would recommend fostering for East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

Milly has been fostered for nine years by the same family. She said: “I have grown up in my foster family, and they are my family. They have helped me get into school and college and they’ve supported me to get the job I wanted in education. I have always felt a part of the family, and I would encourage anyone who could support other children by providing a foster home, to do it.”

People who foster for East Riding of Yorkshire Council receive comprehensive support including their own dedicated social worker to provide practical and emotional support, training and regular free social events including Christmas parties, theme park visits and summer events. There are also local support groups available for foster carers to attend, and help for existing children in the family to adapt to fostering.

Would fostering work for me and my family financially?

Anyone thinking about becoming a foster carer will want to consider how it will work financially.

East Riding Fostering rates will increase from 8 April, in recognition of the valued role foster carers take. The financial offer for foster families will be amongst the highest in the Yorkshire and Humber region.

In addition to financial allowances, families also receive contributions towards equipment, additional money on the child’s birthday and at Christmas. All members of the household also receive free membership to East Riding leisure centres.

Find out more about foster carer allowances: eryc.link/fosteringallowances 

Councillor Victoria Aitken, cabinet member for children, families and education said: “We have over 100 amazing foster carer families in the East Riding, who enable children and young people to thrive. We want to create the very best experiences, support and training so foster carers can, in turn, provide the most loving, stable and supportive homes for our children. We endeavour to make fostering the most fulfilling and rewarding experience, and I’m pleased that the increase in allowances for families means our rates are amongst the highest in the Yorkshire region.

“There is no 'ideal' type of foster carer, everyone is unique and brings their own individual experience and abilities. The most important attributes are having time, patience, a sense of humour and the ability to love. Foster families come in all shapes and sizes. Families can also decide what type of foster caring arrangements would work for them. I’d really encourage anyone to find out more and consider opening your door to fostering.”

Whether you are a prospective carer thinking about applying to foster, or an experienced carer wanting to transfer, we’d love for you to become part of East Riding fostering:

Telephone (01482) 394095

Email: fosteringrecruitment@eastriding.gov.uk

Search: eastriding.gov.uk/fostering   

Facebook: East Riding Fostering

Speak to the fostering team at one of our drop-in information events:

East Riding Leisure Haltemprice, Saturday 23 March, 9.30am-12noon

East Riding Leisure Beverley, Thursday 11 April, 5.30-8pm

East Riding Leisure Bridlington, 20 April, 9.30am-12noon

If you are already fostering, the foster carer recruitment team have developed a fast-track process to transfer your registration to East Riding, with a target of completing this in around eight weeks.