What is Specialist Fostering?

Specialist fostering requires understanding, patience and the ability to allow young children to express their emotions, but what is specialist fostering?

What is specialist fostering?

Specialist fostering involves caring for our more complex children who need extra support. These children have higher levels of need and therefore require specialist care.

What are the different types of specialist fostering?

We need foster carers across the North West to care for children with disabilities, children with behavioural difficulties, children with health problems or physical needs.

Another type of specialist fostering is mother and baby fostering. This involves looking after a vulnerable child or young person who is a parent, whilst also caring for their young child. The idea of this placement would be to provide a safe place and offer care and support for a young parent.

When becoming a specialist carer, it’s important to remember that these children and young people could have had adverse childhood experiences and may have experienced trauma.

Caring for a child with disabilities

When fostering a disabled child or young person, you could be caring for someone with a variety of different medical conditions. These conditions could be physical disabilities which would restrict the child or young person’s movement and mobility, sensory disabilities, developmental disabilities like autism or learning difficulties.

When fostering a child or young person with complex needs and welcoming them into your home, you must provide them with emotional support, personal care and a loving family environment.