Hull Fostering is part of Hull City Council and is the largest fostering service in the local area.
We are responsible for all children looked after in Hull.
Hull City Council have a legal duty to support young people making the transition from care to adulthood.
Most young people are not ready to move on to independent living at the age of 16.
Our ‘Supported Lodgings providers’ offer a home and support for these young people aged 16-21 with the view to helping them make that big step towards independent living.
There are lots of young people aged 16+ who, for a variety of reasons, cannot live with their immediate families and yet are not ready to live independent lives. As a Supported Lodgings provider, you and your home will become a stable environment where they can develop their life skills and their confidence to cope with everyday life.
For all sorts of reasons, some young people have missed out on learning vital life skills and need guidance to go on to thrive as adults. We know from experience that for a vulnerable young person the Supported Lodgings scheme is the ideal bridge between being cared for and taking care of themselves.
As a Supported Lodgings provider you may need to show, support and build a young person’s confidence in cooking skills, using public transport, help manage their own health, finances or timekeeping. The arrangement can be for a period until you, the young person and Hull Fostering agree it’s time to try independent living.
“I know I wouldn’t have been ready to live alone, manage bills and look after myself at 16 years old. The young people who have stayed with me over the years have really needed some nurturing. I get to see them grow into young adults, it’s a pleasure to be part of their journey.”
The greatest need in our area is for accommodation to suit young people aged 16 – 17, and usually up to the age of 24 if the young person is in higher education.
In Supported Lodgings, young people can learn how to take responsibility for their own lives, whilst living in a safe and caring environment.
Providers of Supported Lodgings are not registered foster carers, but you will be treated as a professional, be given a generous financial allowance, training and support to prepare and help you for this vital role.
As a Supported Lodgings provider, you will have your own allocated Supported Lodgings Worker and will receive:
- Generous financial allowance paid weekly when a young person is staying with you
- Appropriate training to develop your knowledge and skills to help support young people living with you
- Professional support from people who have lots of experience in dealing with vulnerable young people
- Access to out of hours support through our Emergency Duty Team
If you would like to talk to one of our friendly team about the process of becoming a supported lodgings provider, you have many options.
You can fill in this enquiry form, call us on 01482 612 800, email fostering@hullcc.gov.uk or send us a message on Facebook.
Please click here to learn more about Additional Needs and Disability foster carers in our next blog article or go back to our website to learn more about Hull Fostering’s mission to find enough foster carers to meet the needs of all children looked after in Hull.
