Parent and Child Fostering, by Louise Rees

Parent and Child Service Manager, Louise Rees, explains exactly what Parent and Child Fostering is, and shares her valuable knowledge and insight into the service. 

Parent and Child Fostering is a specialist area of fostering where a parent, sometimes both parents, live alongside their child/baby (sometimes more than one child) within a fostering family. This is unlike any other type of fostering, as the parent remains as the main carer for the child.

Our dedicated team of Parent and Child foster carers provide opportunities for parents to remain with their baby in their home during a time where care and support is needed; and/or assessments and intervention is ongoing with a Local Authority. This opportunity avoids separation and gives a place of safety, with support and guidance from foster carer/s.

How do we receive referrals for Parent and Child placements?

Referrals are received from Local Authorities as a result of identified care and support needs and/or safeguarding concerns. These needs are usually a result of the difficulties Parents have experienced in their past, and they are facing continuing challenges that could impact on their ability to safely parent. These can include Adverse Childhood Experiences; neglect and abuse as a child: mental health struggles; domestic abuse concerns; substance misuse and learning disabilities. At Calon Cymru Fostering we recognise the daunting prospect that parents face in having to move in with strangers and prove that they are good parents.

Our Foster Carers have key skills to support these arrangements: resilience, empathy, acceptance, and adaptability to name a few, and they are committed to supporting parents not only in the practical guidance of teaching how to parent and safely meet the needs of their child; but also, emotionally. They understand the need to develop open, honest, and supportive relationships that will hopefully empower parents to address and manage the struggles they face.

Support and Training for Parent and Child foster carers

Parent and Child foster carers are supported in this role by experienced supervising social workers who have an interest in this specialist fostering area; dedicated parent and child placement support workers; other mainstream foster carers, parent and training support groups and specific parent and child training.

Ensuring that training is current and relatable to parent and child arrangements is essential to the support and professional development for parent and child foster carers and staff. Training will cover policies and processes that parents and social work professionals follow, for example the Public Law Outline process; observing, reporting, and recording; risk assessing and safe care. It will also cover and relate to the identified difficulties that parents face: perinatal mental health, substance misuse, learning disabilities and domestic abuse. At Calon Cymru we have an accredited facilitator who can deliver domestic abuse training bespoke to our mothers in the foster home. If required, we are also able to complete a parenting assessment for a Local Authority.

Parent and Child +

Our specialist Parent and Child + Service also recognises that alongside assessment led placements, there are varying situations that may require longer term parent and child placements. When parents are also looked after and have experienced foster care themselves, they have experienced adverse childhood experiences and need foster carers who can provide and give them the experience of secure base, and positive role modelling in their new chapter of being a parent. Sometimes these situations allow parents to receive this care and support for a period, without the pressure of assessments.

At Calon Cymru we recognise the challenges parents face, and how their experiences shape them and impact on trust and relationships. There is often a need for therapeutic support within a parent and child arrangement and we are fortunate to be able to offer this support to parents during their time in placement.

When assessments and decisions conclude positively and the plan for a parent and baby is to transition home, we acknowledge how exciting this can be, but also a little frightening for some parents.

As part of our Parent and Child + Service we offer community support for parents. This is where foster carers, or our P&C placement support staff will continue to visit parents in their own home; sometimes becoming a crucial part of the care and support plan for a period after transition. This is a bespoke service that is considered with the Local Authority in the Parent and Child Reviews that are held, where continued support needs are identified as part of the transition plan.

Calon Cymru Fostering is the only agency in South and West Wales to offer a Parent and Child Placements Service with staff who specialise specifically in this area.

We know just what a major positive impact this service has, not only for the lives of our children and parents, but also on the lives of our foster carers. We are dedicated and passionate about being able to give parent/s and their child the ‘best possible chance’ to remain together.

Louise Rees

Parent and Child Service Manager