Q - How long does it take to start fostering ?
A - It can be as quick as 6 months.We run regular training courses throughout the year which are followed by an assessment of your skills and experience.
Q - When will I have to give up work?
A - Not until you are approved as a foster carer and we have found a placement for you.
Q - Is there an age limit?
A - No but we think it would be unlikely that you would have enough experience of working with teenagers before the age of 25 or have the energy required after age 70 if you are the main carer!
Q - Do you need carers from the ethnic minorities in Scotland?
A - Yes we need carers from all kind of backgrounds. There are not enough carers from ethnic minorities in Scotland. The more we have the closer we will be able to match children's needs and backgrounds.
Q - What if I don't want to give children up?
A - Our mainstream service provides temporary placements for children. However it is not unusual for temporary to mean a couple of months and even a period of years. We do now have a Permanence Service and we are interested in recruiting carers who can offer children who need to live permanently in care but cannot be adopted a forever home.
If you are interested in offering permanent care you should click on the Permanent Families button on the right of the screen, fill in a contact form and select the option for permanent families or get in touch with Marion Geddes at our Dunfermline Office.
Q - Are carers ever needed for brothers and sisters together?
A - We often have requests for placements where brother and sisters can live together.We would be interested in hearing from you if you are in a position to offer a family of brothers and sisters staying together.
Q - Can single men and women apply?
A - Yes, but we would need to be sure that you have a good support network.
Q - Can gay and same sex couples apply?
A - Yes. We need all kinds of people to be foster carers.
Q - What happens if we don't get on with the child?
A - Your training and the SWIIS team will help you to cope with a lot of difficult behaviours.We will also try to "match" a child with you and your family as closely as we can.Sometimes placements do break down despite everyone's best efforts in which case you would be expected to work with the team involved with the child to make the moving on period as painless as possible for the child.
Q - How will fostering affect my own children?
A - There are advantages and disadvantages for children of families who foster. We would expect you to discuss these at length with them and they will also be able to talk to a SWIIS social worker as part of the assessment process. Some children find it difficult to share their parents with other young people. In some circumstances we may not accept families with children under the age of ten years as the child whom you foster often needs your sole attention. SWIIS recognises the important part that your own child will play in helping the foster child and we also offer them support and arrange from trips out during the some of the school holidays.
Q - I have 3 boisterous dogs, would this be a problem?
A - Whilst some children will enjoy having pets in the home, others may be frightened or may tease an animal. SWIIS also has a policy regarding pets and the subsequent hygiene issues and will make recommendations dependant on how many animals you have and how they are housed. Any animals in the home will be considered during a Health and Safety check and Risk Assessments. to ensure that they do not pose a risk to the foster child.
Q - What happens when I don't have a placement?
A - SWIIS will pay a retainer to you between placements for up to a month while we find another placement for you. Most foster carers do not have many times when they are not busy,especially if they can accept a variety of children and young people.
Q - What ages are the children in foster care?
A - Most of our placements are of children over 12 years of age. Often children and young people in care are less mature and delayed in their development compared to others of the same age because of their previous life experiences, some of which may have been abusive.
Recently we have had an increasing number of referrals asking us for foster carers for younger, primary school, children. We also have just started our Permanency Service for children who need longer term care but cannot be adopted - these children can be of any age.
The short answer is we need all kinds of carers and if you are interested please get in touch.
Q - Do I need a driving licence?
A - Whilst we don’t insist that all carers are able to drive, the reality is that it is extremely difficult to do the job if you don’t have access to a car. There are meetings to attend and children often need to be transported to school, to contact meetings etc. Not being able to drive would be a considerable disadvantage if you want to become a foster carer, unless you can demonstrate that you could meet the transport needs of a placement in some other way.
If you think that you may be able to join our team in meeting the needs of these particular groups, please do not hesitate to talk these and many other options through with your local office or complete our register your interest form.
