Unfortunately not all children are able to stay at home with their families. When a child needs to leave the family home they will be placed with a foster carer and will either return home or move on to permanently live with a long term foster carer or adopter.
Children and young people of all ages are looked after the local authority, from new born babies to young people who need support in being prepared to become independent. They are looked after for a variety of reasons which include:
- Having been physically, sexually, emotional abused or neglected
- Having a parent who has a mental health problem and cannot manage
- A child or young person is beyond its parent’s control
- Family breakdown
- A teenage mother needing guidance and support caring safely for her baby
- Having a parent struggling with drug or alcohol abuse
- A child having disabilities and parents needing a break
Whatever start a child or young person has had we want them to be with people who are able to help them achieve the best outcomes possible. Ensuring they are heathy, stay safe, that they can enjoy and achieve, are able to make a positive contribution and can go on to achieve economic well-being.
Could you be a foster carer?
We will be pleased to hear from you of you are from one of the following :
- You could afford a short break to a child with a disability
- You want to foster and are from a white UK background
- You want to foster and could look after an older young person
- You want to foster and could take on a child with a disability or additional needs
- You want to foster and have the space and ability to look after a sibling group
- You want to adopt a black or mixed race child
- You want to adopt and could take on a child with a disability or additional needs
- You want to adopt and want older children who are part of a sibling group
If you live in the borough of Ealing and want to adopt you may want to consider contacting another local authority as it can be difficult to place local children with adopters who live in the same area as a child’s birth family. However, it’s always good to talk this through with us and we can give you advice on what your best option would be.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us on 0800 731 6550 if you have any queries.
Coping with costs
To ensure you have the resources to foster a child Ealing Council pay generous and competitive allowances. Our current rates (from April 2011) are between £257 to £446 per child per week, depending on age of child and experience of the carer. The rate for mother and baby carers is £787 per week per mother and baby.