Parent & Child Fostering
Could you help a parent and child to stay together and improve their future?
A Parent and Child foster placement (also called P&C) allows parents to demonstrate or learn how to look after their baby over a time period, usually between 12 and 26 weeks, with the help and support of a foster carer.
As the foster carer, your role is to support the parent(s) in looking after their baby. You wouldn’t provide hands-on care for the baby but help mentor the parent, improve their confidence, and potentially break a cycle of neglect.
As well as having an allocated, experienced supervising social worker, a specialist placement support worker will provide additional assistance to work with the parent(s). Your recorded observations will also be shared with other professionals, such as local authority social workers, health visitors, and children’s guardians.
Some of the parents you might help will have come from very different backgrounds to your own. They may not have a positive experience of family life or parenting, so they find it challenging to accept that living within a stable household, with some basic rules and boundaries, will benefit them in caring for their baby.
Your role as a P&C carer can help break this cycle, improving the lives of both parent and baby, effectively breaking a cycle of neglect and negativity. P&C placements can be challenging but are incredibly rewarding as explained by Dave and Lindzi below.
Insights into Parent and Child Fostering
Meet Dave and Lindzi and hear their personal insights into parent a child fostering. They embarked on this type of fostering when remembering the difficulties they faced raising their own children. They recalled how having a strong support network was vital for them as new parents, and wanted to be there to support those who don’t have that network around them.
There are some key skills that make a great Parent and Child foster carer:
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Adaptability - A realistic and flexible approach to supporting parents during this process will be invaluable. Parent and Child situations are regularly reviewed and can change throughout assessment, for example, the supervision levels of the parent and child may change.
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Resilience - Sometimes, even for carers who have been fostering for many years, hearing about the parents’ experiences can be incredibly hard and emotionally challenging. For a parent arriving at your home, you may be the first experience of a safe and caring environment, free from threat or abuse. Emotional resilience will be key in these situations and accessing support from Calon Cymru around any difficult situation will always be encouraged.
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Empathy - The ability to accept and take on others perspective; to understand, feel and respond to parents’ experiences in a warm and nurturing way will be vital to developing positive, open, and honest relationships with parents who have experienced adversity and trauma.
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Aptitude - You may think that your former career won’t have much bearing on your role as a Foster Carer, but you would be quite wrong! All our foster carers draw upon the practical skills and knowledge they have gained in their personal and professional life.
Parent and Child Fostering, by Louise Rees
Parent and Child Service Manager, Louise Rees explains more about the service, and shares her valuable knowledge and insight.
Do you think you can change the life of a local vulnerable child or young person?
Get in touch today for a casual, friendly chat with our experienced foster advisors.
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