As an Additional Needs and Disability Foster Carer you will be able to provide a child with the love, support and home they need to reach their full potential.
If you are thinking of becoming a specialist foster carer, we don’t expect you to have all the skills at the beginning, just the motivation to work with us, a big heart and commitment to the children in your care.
Just like mainstream fostering, some children and young people with additional needs or a disability may need to stay with you for a little while until they can return to their parents or are adopted. Other children need a stable long-term home where you will support them into adulthood.
To prepare you for this type of fostering, we will ask you to attend some induction training, we call this pre-approval training and it will give you the “building blocks” for fostering a child with an additional need or disability, and allows you the opportunity to meet and speak to other prospective and approved carers.
As a specialised foster carer you will never be alone, the child you will be looking after could have one or more physical, learning or emotional disabilities, ranging from a young person with Asperger’s, to communication difficulties or being a wheelchair user. We will work closely with you and be by your side offering all necessary guidance and training needed to make you, your family and the child feel content and supported.
We also work in partnership with other services and external agencies to provide a wraparound package of support, training and relief care for all of your household.
You will have access to an occupational therapist, specialist learning opportunities such as; Makaton sign language, manual moving and handling courses, support groups and respite care. If required, we can also apply for funding for adaptations to your home.
“I have the most affectionate little boy in my care, he likes lots of cuddles, benefits from routine and is very sociable. Ryan needs supervision all the time as he lacks understanding of dangers around him and uses pictures to communicate when he has something he wants to say. Ryan makes us smile every day and has fitted in with our family wonderfully.”
Fostering is a family decision, and deciding whether you would like to become a specialist mainstream foster carer, such as an additional needs and disability foster carer, we would recommend speaking to your family and check they are supportive of your choices.
Applying to become a foster carer with Hull Fostering is easy. All you need to do is complete our online form on our website www.HullFostering.co.uk or call 01482 612 800, and we’ll get back to you quickly for a friendly informal chat.
