Fostering siblings
Keeping brothers and sisters together after being placed in foster care is crucial.
Do you have room in your life to foster siblings?
This type of fostering focuses on matching sibling groups with foster homes big enough for multiple foster children and foster carers who are capable of meeting their needs. We’re regularly asked to find a home for brothers and sisters in order to keep them together in one house.
There are plenty of good reasons for doing so, not least because they’re family and can support each other through what can be a difficult time. We also know that separation can create real problems, including anxiety, identity issues and a real sense of isolation. A BBC report showed that separation affected around 5,000 children in care during 2018 alone, so it’s a significant issue.
Sadly however, it’s not always possible to keep siblings together. This could be because the family group is too large, or there’s too big an age difference between them. Sometimes sibling rivalry means it’s safer to keep them apart. Another big reason is a shortage of foster carers with enough room in their house or time in their life to accommodate two or more children. If you think you could make a difference, we’d love to hear from you!
Support and training
Fostering siblings is a unique and specialist area, so we make sure there’s extra training and support on hand to help you. So as well as a highly qualified team of social workers there are therapists, you’ll be able to tap into the expertise of our team. We’ll all get involved, helping you achieve the best outcomes for children and young people and an inspirational fostering experience for you.
Fostering Allowances
You’ll receive a generous fostering payment for every week a child or young person is in your care, designed to reward your professionalism and commitment.
How to foster siblings
To become a foster carer the first step is to fill out our online form and we’ll be in touch to talk to you more about fostering, check you meet the initial criteria to foster and of course answer any questions you may have.
Our team will then arrange to visit you at home, so find out in more depth about fostering and also give us the opportunity to get to know you better. You’ll then need to fill in an application form and, if accepted, you’ll start your full fostering assessment.
Interested in becoming a foster carer with FCA Scotland?
Do you have the skills and compassion needed to be a foster parent? Enter your town or postcode to find your nearest office or get in touch today.
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Other types of fostering
Long term fostering
For a child or young person this means that the care planning process has concluded that they will thrive best if they are cared for away from home on a permanent basis. This type of fostering would mean caring for a child or young person until independence.
Interim fostering
Interim fostering involves caring for a baby, child or young person for a few weeks or months while difficulties at home are resolved and is often linked to further assessments of the young person or family members together with court processes.
Short break fostering
Also known as respite fostering, this is where a foster carer takes on the care and support of a child or young person so that the usual foster carer can take a well-deserved break. We offer all of our foster carers respite care every year.
Continuing care
Continuing Care takes children through to the age of 21, ensuring a more seamless and supported transition to adulthood. It’s available to all young people who are, or have been, in a continuing relationship with a foster carer.
Solo fostering
In some cases, it’s often important for the child or young person to be a ‘solo’ placement - in other words, they’re the only child in the home. That means solo fostering is usually only suitable for foster carers without other children in their home.
Specialist fostering
Calling for huge amounts of care, compassion and patience, this type of fostering often involves handling medications and managing complex care routines, so it’s especially demanding on your time and commitment.
Asylum seeking children
Fostering unaccompanied asylum-seeking children can be extremely rewarding experience as you provide them with a safe and secure home environment. Your role is to support them for as long as they need, helping them adapt to a new culture.
Speak to our team
Whether you’re ready to start your journey or just want to chat to an expert, we're here to talk.
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Call a member of our friendly fostering team and they'll be able to answer all your questions.