Below is a list of most frequently asked questions. If you have a query that is not covered on this page please contact us by telephone, letter or email.

• Want to become a foster carer?

• What happens after I express an interest in foster caring?

• What is the fostering assessment?

• Who conducts the fostering assessment?

• Who are the children and young people needing to be fostered?

• What are the criteria for new applicants?

• What types of placements are made?

• What is the process of approval and who sits on the approval panel?

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Want to become a foster carer?
If you are interested in becoming a foster carer, the following will happen:-

• We may invite you to attend a three day introductory course to fostering. This will give the opportunity to meet other applicants and approved foster carers, who will share their experiences with you.

• If you decide to go ahead, we will being an assessment process. This involves 6-8 visits to your home to interview you and your family. We will ask for references and make our own enquiries through the Criminal Records Bureau and other statutory checks.

• Rainbow has a staff group of social workers who will put together a detailed report. This report is then presented to an approval panel who decide if you are to be accepted as a foster carer. The whole process takes about three months.

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What happens after I express an interest in foster caring
Our first step is to send you an application pack with an application form. After we have received your application we will visit your home. If you have a partner we will ask you to choose a time when we can see you together. Your first enquiries are registered as an interest in fostering.

We will then invite you to attend a three day course and it is at this time that we will cover all aspects of fostering. This training has been designed by the Fostering Network and is called 'Choosing to Foster'. The Choosing to Foster course allows you an opportunity to meet other people who have expressed an interest in fostering. We ask foster carers who are already approved to come along to the training and share their experiences with you. If you are intending to foster as a couple we recommend that you should both attend the course.

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The Process of Assessment
It is only after you have decided that you would like to foster that we begin the process called an Assessment. This involves six to eight visits to your home to interview you and your family. We will ask you to give us the names of the individuals who would be prepared to offer personal references on your behalf. We will also visit these people and interview them. Anyone who makes an application to become a foster carer will be subjected to other character references accessed through the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB). This will include any person over age 16 that lives or stay at your home on a regular basis. We will also make statutory checks by contacting organisations like social services, NSPCC and education.

We will also ask you to have a medical examination by your GP. The results will be assessed by our medical advisor.

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Who will conduct my Assessment?
Rainbow Fostering has a staff group of social workers and independent social workers. One of them will conduct your assessment. This is called a competency based assessment. We use a recognised form called Form F that is published by the British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering to gather in-depth information about you and your family. You are part of this process and we ask you to make contribution to the report by writing something about yourself. The supervising social worker will give you help to complete this task.

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Who are the children and young people needing to be fostered?
We place children between the ages of 0-18 years with foster carers. All of them will be looked after by the local authority, some on a short-term and others on a long-term basis. Children and young people must have contact with their parents, relatives and friends to preserve their identity. We may in some instances ask foster carers supervise contact in their home or to transport the child/young person to a neutral venue. The main issue is that we support children and young people in having contact with their parents and relatives.

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What are the criteria for new applicants?
You must be able to:-

• Demonstrate competence in looking after children and young people.

• Have a room that will provide privacy for the child/young person.

• Demonstrate a genuine concern for the child's/young person's welfare.

• Realise that looking after a child or young person who has a history of abuse or neglect is very different to looking after their own children.

• Show understanding of the effects of all types of abuse.

• Understand that it may take the foster child/young person some time to settle and accept you.

• Must be able to provide the child/young person with a homely environment and encourage them to see and use their strengths in a positive way.

• Provide an environment that will help the child/young person to develop and grow by concentrating on such areas as their health, education, identity, self-care and preparation skills.

• Encourage the child's/young person's capacity for growth and self-fulfilment.

• Show an interest in the child/young person's accomplishments, however small.

• Teach the child/young person how to be resilient even though they have had negative and harmful experiences.

• Be able to accept support and enter into a supportive relationship with the agency, other professionals and foster carers.

• Attend training to learn how to deal with all aspects of caring.

• Demonstrate your ability to work in partnership.

• Promote the child/young persons health and educational needs.

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What types of placements are made?
We provide different types of placements depending on the child's/young person's needs and the requests made to us by the local authority.

• Emergency Placements
  This type of placement is provided in an emergency situation and over a short period. Such placements are unplanned. We will approach foster carers to provide emergency placement if they have the room to accommodate the child/young person and depending on the category of their approval.

• Short Term Placements
  Many foster carers have children over a short period and complete and focus on a task with the child/young person. In such instances foster carers are asked to make an assessment of the child's young person's needs and this helps to inform a care plan for the future.

• Long Term Placements
  Some carers may decide that they would prefer to look after children/young people on a long term basis. These placements help to provide stability and continuity for children/young people. Foster carers who look after young people are asked to work in partnership with them to prepare them for leaving care. The same principle applies to children who are moving on to alternative placements or back home to their parents.

• Positive Endings
  It is important for foster carers to work positively with children/young people to keep them having positive endings to their placements.

• Parent and Child Placements
  Some foster carers may identify their skills as working with a young mother and baby. Within these placements the foster carers have a role in supporting parents and will make a contribution to the assessment of the child's needs.

• Bridging Placements
  These placements are provided when the local authority is making decisions about a long term plan. They help bridge the gap until a final decision is made. Bridging placements are similar to short term placements in that foster carers make a contribution to the child's assessment of need.

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What is the approval process and who sits on the approval panel?
The purpose of a fostering assessment is to gather all the information that is required to present to a fostering panel for approval of your application to foster with Rainbow Fostering. The fostering panel consists of ten people who are all professionally qualified and have experience in fostering. A foster carer is represented on the fostering panel. You can attend the panel, but if you choose not to do so the Assessing Social Worker will give you feedback and the Director will write to you once the panel has made a recommendation The panel is usually able to make a recommendation on the same day and you should not have to wait too long to hear the outcome of the Director's decision. The panel plays a very important role in recommending who should be accepted as foster carers. They are independent professionals and are able to make an objective assessment of the information that is presented to the. It is also possible that the panel may consider that the report has incomplete information. In such cases they will delay making a recommendation and request the assessing social worker clarify or add further information to the report. A further date will be set for your application to be represented to the panel.

Once you are approved as a foster carer, your status will be reviewed after the first six months of approval and then on a yearly basis by a supervising social worker and the Assistant Director or a Reviewing Officer. In preparation for the review the supervising social worker will visit you to discuss your progress and any needs you may have. The purpose of a review is to monitor your progress and offer you an opportunity to discuss your strengths and any problems you may identify. In addition, your status as a foster carer(s) will also be reviewed one every three years by the fostering panel, unless there is an allegation or complaint made against you. In such instance your review will be updated.

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