Specialist Foster Carer Needed

Hi, my name is T and I am looking for a new foster carer.

Everyone thinks that I am cheeky and funny. I love playing outside and bouncing on the trampoline. I particularly love farm animals and tractors. I like being able to be free outside and explore my surroundings. I like to help and to have a job, this gives me a purpose and makes me feel helpful.

Young boy wearing a shirt and smiling

(Photo for illustration purposes - not the real child).

At home I like to help in the kitchen with cooking, I like to go to the shops, and I love swimming and playing at the park. I like to be busy and have activities planned but I also like time to play at home and watch my iPad.

I have an additional Y chromosome and this means that I function at an age younger than my chronological age, for me this means that my speech is delayed and sometimes my behaviours are those that you would expect to see in younger children. I am receiving speech and language therapy.

In my school I have 1:1 support and I am making progress. My diagnosis is also associated with emotional difficulties and learning difficulties. I am waiting to find out if I will be having an assessment for ADHD.

What do my new carers need to know

It is important that my carers understand the impact of early trauma and neglect and can understand my additional needs and the complexities that can arise from these.

Sometimes I need help to feel calm, and I can display behaviours that can be challenging. When I feel like this, I can hit out, kick, bite and swear. It is helpful for me when my carers support me to stay calm and they can respond by providing a consistent and firm but fair approach to my care.

I need support to understand some of my emotions and why they can feel so big at times. When my surroundings are calmer, I can remain calmer, when my home is busy and noisy my behaviours can escalate. My carers support me with cuddles and a bath when my behaviours are heightened and that 1:1 time supports me to regulate my emotions.

I need someone who can remain calm when I am struggling and give me space and allow me to approach them when I am ready.

What I like to do

I love watching Mr Bean and Farming on my iPad. I really like being outdoors and bouncing on the trampoline.

I enjoy day trips to the farm, parks, sea life centre and getting on the train. I enjoy accessing new activities with appropriate support to help me calm when I become heightened. The professionals that work with me feel that I will make positive progress with my behaviours and regulation with a consistent therapeutic approach.

I like it when my carer uses pictures to explain what I will be doing next and around my daily plan so I know what to expect.

Could you be my carer?

I need someone who can offer me a therapeutic fostering home. This helps me to remain calmer.

I need someone who can commit to me long-term and will be able to offer me the time and support I need to develop and grow.

My future foster carer needs to be able to remain calm and support me when I am feeling anxious, and my behaviours are escalating.

I would like to stay in my current school in Stafford area as I like it there. I currently travel there by taxi which I don’t cope well with. I would ideally like my foster carers to take me to and from school as I am always much happier to travel with people I know.

Who are we looking for?

To be a foster carer for T you need to be available at all times

  • You need to have experience of caring for a child with additional needs or a diagnosis of autism
  • You need to have a spare bedroom
  • You can have children other children in the household but ideally they need to be aged 8 or older
  • You need to ideally be able to transport T to and from school in Stafford

Next steps

We are looking for foster carers for a number of children including T who are at risk of entering residential care or who are already in residential care. Your next step would be to book an initial home visit so we can discuss you interest in more detail.

Please complete the enquiry form and let us know you are interested in being assessed to become a foster carer for T and we will be in touch. You can also call the fostering team on 0800 169 2061 if you have any further questions.

Why foster with us?

  • As a foster carer you will have a package of support including training, support groups and your own social worker
  • Once approved we will carefully match you with a child which may mean that you are not matched to T but another child who is looking for a fostering family and then introductions will be carefully planned 
  • We are looking for resilience foster carers for T. You will receive a guaranteed fostering fee of £572.92 per week paid on approval enabling you to foster full-time . You will also have an additional fostering allowance of up to £249.93 per week once they move in
  • You will have up to 21 nights of short breaks each year
  • Package of support including training, support groups and own social worker

If you don't feel able to foster T, there are lots of other different types of fostering you can choose from.