What’s it like to go to panel with St Christopher’s?

The final stage of becoming a carer is attending a fostering panel meeting, where it will be decided whether you should be recommended for approval.

We know that the idea of sitting in front of a panel can be nerve-wracking, so we want you to be as prepared as possible for this last step. Fostering Panel Administrator Debbie Stone explains what you can expect at your meeting.

Who makes up the panel?

The panel is a group of people who decide whether to recommend you as a foster carer. My role is to take the minutes of everything discussed.

Everyone involved has an interest in fostering, whether they are social workers, carers or children who have been in care. Other panel members may have specialist skills in medicine or education. Their combined experience means they are best placed to recommend people to be foster carers.

There are usually at least six people on the panel and it will be headed by a chairperson who has significant experience of working with children and families.

What can I expect to happen on the day?

Your social worker will go in first to present your assessment and answer questions from the panel. You will then be invited into the meeting room and asked questions about your assessment so that the panel can get to know you personally.

It’s a great opportunity for you to feel involved in the decision-making process and to ask the panel any questions you may have, but don’t feel obliged to!

How do I know if I have been approved?

After the meeting the panel will discuss your assessment and make a recommendation about whether you should start fostering. It is unusual for a carer not to be approved at this point.

The final decision lies with the Agency Decision Maker, Ron Giddens, who is also Director of Operations at St Christopher’s. He will agree or disagree with the recommendation and will write to you in seven days to let you know.

You’ll be able to start fostering as soon as you receive your approval letter. Congratulations!

If you think you would be a great foster carer, get in touch with us today.

How can I prepare to be a foster carer?

Kerryann is our Carer Recruitment Officer. She follows up every enquiry we receive about fostering and can advise potential carers on how to prepare themselves for the journey ahead. She's come up with some top tips that can help you get ready to welcome a child into your family.

Becoming a foster carer is a big decision. We know that it will impact on every part of your life so we want to prepare you as much as possible for the journey ahead.

If you’re not quite ready to start the application process, there are lots of things you can do to get extra experience that will make all the difference once you are fostering. To give you an idea of what we’re looking for, we’ve put together this guide on preparing to foster.

Get in touch
Speak to our friendly enquiries team to find out if there are any specific things they want you to achieve before progressing with your application. You can learn about the requirements to foster and ask us questions about the approvals process.

Research fostering

Our team can provide you with lots of information about what to expect from fostering, but we understand that talking to real life foster carers is one of the best ways of learning. Reading about other people’s experiences on our blog is a great way to find out how our carers feel about fostering. You can also visit internet forums like The Fostering Network or Mumsnet for extra information.

Get experience with children

Volunteering in schools, kids clubs and support groups is a useful way of getting experience interacting with children and young people, as is babysitting the children of your friends, relatives and neighbours. You can also consider mentoring young people from challenging backgrounds, which will teach you about the types of experiences foster children have.

Build your support network

It’s really important to have a support network around you in difficult times, especially if you are planning on becoming a single parent foster carer. Talk to your family, friends and neighbours about fostering and make sure there are people you can rely on at all hours of the day.

Decorate your spare bedroom
Moving into a new home is scary for any child or young person, especially if they have left their family behind. One way of making their new room welcoming is by decorating it so that it’s easier for them to settle in. Remember to keep the room non-gender and non-age specific as you might be looking after children from all sorts of backgrounds.

Adapt your employment situation
You can still work if you foster, as long as your job allows you to meet the needs of the child or young person. Discuss your plans to foster with your employer to see if they can offer you flexibility around working hours and taking time off.

Let us know if your circumstances change
Changes in your life may affect your eligibility or application to foster. Remember to contact us if you get a new job, meet a new partner or now have a spare bedroom available. Even if you’ve decided that fostering isn’t for you, keep us informed about your decisions so that we can update your record.

Apply to St Christopher’s
We recruit carers from across London, Essex and the West Midlands. You can enquire about fostering or apply with us via our website or on 0800 234 6282.

Please do get in touch if you have any queries about fostering.

Introducing the London fostering team

Are you interested in fostering? Want to find out more about the team who could be supporting you?

Gabriella Kulesza, London Fostering Team Manager, and Lucy Carroll, Supervising Social Worker, work with our carers across London. They provide support, organise training sessions and undertake assessments to ensure that all of our carers and children are happy and safe. Here they tell us about their roles and what they think makes a good foster carer.

Lucy, top left, and Gabriella, bottom right, look after our foster carers in London

What does your job involve?
Gabriella: I’m the Team Manager for fostering in London. I support all of our London carers, whether they are currently looking after a child or not. I make sure they provide a safe, loving environment where a child can feel at home. I also help to recruit new carers by attending events like community fairs, where I talk to people about what’s involved in fostering.

Lucy: As a Supervising Social Worker I visualise an entire care plan for a child and make informed recommendations on issues that affect their life. I’m available at all hours of the day so that carers can ask for my help or guidance, and help with training sessions for new and existing carers. I’m also welcoming a Social Work student to our team soon, so I will be helping them gain the experience they need to qualify.

In your opinion what’s the most important thing about your role?
Gabriella: The best way we can get things right for the child are by getting things right for the carer as soon as they enquire about fostering with us. My aim is to get the best possible outcomes for all children so that they can go on to have a bright, fulfilling future. It’s challenging, but the rewards are so great that it’s always worthwhile.

Lucy: My priority is minimising disruptions for a child by finding carers they can live with for long-term placements. If for some reason a disruption can’t be avoided, then I try to make the transition as smooth as possible to keep some stability in the child’s life. I also enjoy organising the annual awards events, where we celebrate all the children that our carers look after. It’s great to see how much they achieve in one short year!

What do you think makes a good foster carer?
Gabriella: A carer should be open, warm and caring, with the time and patience to look after a child. It is going to be a challenge so you need to have some self-belief and confidence that will allow you to care for the child and promote the best outcomes for them. You should be able to relate to children, even if you don't have your own.

Lucy: The best carers go the extra mile to ensure the child feels like part of the family and is treated like a birth child, which is really important. Things like cooking a child’s favourite meal and taking them for days out can make such a huge difference to their development.

Gabriella: We work in partnership with our carers to get the best results and ensure that the child comes first. Even if you think you might not meet every single requirement to foster, we can help you become an amazing carer with our excellent training and support.

Lucy: We get the best outcomes when we have a good match between a child and their carer. For example, we look after one young person who said it was important for a carer to understand her sarcastic sense of humour. We worked hard to find the right carer for her, and the two of them have developed a really strong bond.

Do any particular carers stand out in your mind for being great?
Gabriella: There is a couple we work with who have looked after a boy with severe learning and physical disabilities since he was a baby. He is now 12 years old and their commitment to him is amazing – they are even planning to adopt him! They have been amazing carers and have advocated for his needs every step of the way.

Lucy: A carer that stands out for me is a single woman who has looked after a young person for about five years. She is now 16 years old and goes to all family events, like a birthday party for the carer’s granddaughter. They’ve developed such a strong relationship because the carer will go above and beyond to make the young person feel included and valued.

Gabriella: Another one of our single carers recently completed a Masters in Autism. She looks after a child with this condition and uses the knowledge she gained from her degree to enhance the care she provides. Her success is down to her great communication skills and her warm and compassionate nature. She really goes the extra mile and you can hear the passion in her voice when she talks about fostering and the young person she cares for.

Why do you think it’s important to recruit new carers?
Gabriella: The more carers we have, the more young people we can help. To look after someone else’s child in your own home is one of the most amazing things you can do. Our carers are so selfless and tenacious, and always do their very best for the young person. It’s an enriching experience not only for the child, but for the carer as well.

If you think you could be a great foster carer, we want to hear from you. We’re recruiting carers across the London boroughs, but particularly in Ealing, Hillingdon and Hounslow. Get in touch with our friendly enquiries team today via email or on 0800 234 6282.

Find out more about fostering on our website.

Five ways to boost your child’s self-esteem

Sandie Paul, Fostering Manager, supports our carers and children in the West Midlands. Here she offers advice for parents and carers who want to help their young people build their self-esteem.

As adults most of us know that it’s completely natural to have times when you don’t feel as good about yourself as you should. We can usually find ways to combat these emotions, but what can you do when it’s your child having a tough time?

If you’re a parent or foster carer looking after a young person with low self-esteem, try these tips to help boost their confidence. Remember – we all have individual needs and the only way to find things that will work is through directly talking to the young person about what would make them feel good.

Image by Kiran Foster

1. Start a feel-good box
Keep a box full of objects and notes that remind your child of times when they felt good about themselves. This can be photographs of fun days out, notes or stickers from teachers praising their work, or keepsakes like tickets and small toys. Reminiscing about happier times will remind your child of these positive experiences and will boost their self-esteem.

2. Keep track of compliments
Encourage your child to keep a note of any compliments they receive in a book. When they’re feeling down or anxious, they can flick through this and be reminded of all the positive things about themselves that friends, relatives and teachers have said in the past.

3. Exercise away the stress
Exercising is scientifically proven to increase happiness levels no matter how old you are. On days that your child is feeling down, take them to a local park for some fresh air and some blood-pumping activity, where they can run around and have fun. This has the added benefit of helping them to stay fit and in control of their health.

4. Do something they’re good at
If your child has a particular talent, like playing an instrument or taking part in sport, persuade them to do this when they’re struggling with low self-esteem. It works as a reminder of what they’re good at and how their skills contribute to make other people proud or happy. Even if it’s playing their favourite board game and letting them win, it can make a difference.

5. Let them set and achieve a task
Focusing on something that needs to be completed will take your child’s mind of whatever problem is affecting their confidence. This works as a self-esteem boost by empowering them to make a decision and following through. The sense of achievement will boost their self-worth and give them faith in their abilities.

Growing up is a turbulent time for everyone, but if your lacking stability or facing problems at home then it can be especially tricky. Children and young people in care often struggle with lower levels of self-confidence than their peers. That’s why we’re looking for individuals who could be great foster carers – are you up for the job?

Get in touch with us today!

Becoming a Foster Carer: Home Visits

Hi, I'm Sandie and I'm the fostering manager here at St Christopher's in the West Midlands. My top team of social workers complete our home visits. These take place after you enquire about fostering and we think you might be suitable to start fostering our young people. We're all local people who work in the area and we believe our team is special because we really want to make a difference for children and it's important that our foster carers want to do the same.

Children shared what they
thought a foster carer looked like

We'll call you and introduce ourselves. We think it's good that you know who'll be coming to visit you! Our visit will always be at a time when you (and your partner, if you have one) are both at home. Yes, we can visit at weekends and evenings! If you think it's appropritate for your own children to be there as well, that's okay too. We think they're an important part of any foster family.

We always ask that you keep your house how you'd have it on any other day. This is because the home visit is chance to get a peak into your everyday lives.

Although we do have questions to ask and paperwork to fill in, this is a really great chance for you to ask us lots of questions too.

We like to start by having a look around your house, especially as we'd like to see the bedroom you'd intend for a foster child. We need to make sure it can fit all the right furniture in and that it's a good space for a child to call their own. Of course, we don't expect it to be all ready for someone to move in. You'll have plenty of time to sort that out if you carry on with the process of becoming a foster carer.

Alongside the bedroom, we'll generally check that your home is a safe, clean space for someone else to come and live there with you and your family.

After we've had a look around, we can then chat with you and your family. Our questions cover lots of topics, including what fun things you like to do as a family, your life experiences, your family's health and your understanding of fostering and fostered children. We always like to discuss your answers and we always want you to ask questions as well. We want you to feel confident and comfortable with us as we'll be supporting you throughout your fostering journey.

Your social worker will check through all the paperwork after the visit and make sure it has as much detail as possible so we get the best picture of your family. I'll then decide whether to invite you to our preparation training. We'll always be transparent with you and we might sometimes ask for more information and we'll always explain if we can't progress you to the next stage. Honesty is always the best way forward and it's always great to talk to potential foster carers. Remember, your life experience is good. It makes you who you are today!