Plymouth is in need of more foster carers who can help children and young people who need temporary support in emergency situations.
Emergency foster carers support children and young people who need to come into temporary foster care at short notice for a limited period of time.
Foster for Plymouth, Plymouth City Council’s own fostering service, has developed a new package of support specifically aimed at emergency foster carers. This includes enhanced financial support, with an additional disturbance allowance if a child is placed out of hours, as well as emotional and practical support from a range of professionals and fellow foster carers.
Children may be placed in emergency care for a number of reasons, including to protect them from immediate risk of harm, or because their parent or carer has been admitted to hospital and there is no safe adult to care for the child.
Emergency foster carers care for children for up to two weeks, while they are either supported to live back at home or move to live with a family member or a longer-term foster carer.
Councillor Jemima Laing, Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care, said: “Children come into our care for a variety of reasons and there are sometimes emergencies where they need a safe place to stay immediately.
“We need more emergency foster carers who are set up to look after children in these circumstances which is why we’ve developed this specific package of support. We would welcome applications from new prospective foster carers who think that emergency fostering may fit into their life.”
To be an emergency foster carer, you must be over 21 and have the space for a foster child in your heart and home, with a spare bedroom available for a child at all times.
For more information, contact the Foster for Plymouth team on [email protected] or 01752 308762. Find out more about fostering in Plymouth at fosterforplymouth.co.uk.