Types of fostering
Providing a loving home for a child moving from residential care with our enhanced foster carer support package – Bridge to Belonging.
Step Down Fostering is a form of foster care where a child who has previously been living in residential care makes the transition into a family environment. Foster carers looking after these children receive an enhanced support package from Team Fostering, called Bridge to Belonging.
Sometimes family-based foster care is not the most suitable living situation for a young person in care. There may not have been a fostering family available to them where they live, or they may need more intensive support in a residential environment, which has its own unique routines, expectations and boundaries. If the young person makes positive progress, it may be that living with a foster family is the right next step for them to make, which can make a substantial impact on positive outcomes in their future.
Like entering care for the first time, children who leave institutional care to enter family-based care experience a massive change; it is important that Step Down Care is managed sensitively and carefully by local authorities in collaboration with experienced foster carers. This specialist form of fostering is highly rewarding as young people start to develop strong, positive relationships and attachments within a family unit.
Step Down Fostering:
Step Down Fostering is a complex and unique journey which requires a special kind of foster carer with the knowledge, experience and time to be there through the extremely rewarding highs, as well as the bumps along the way.
We know from experience, that with the right support in place, we can make this journey a positive one.
That’s why we’ve developed Bridge to Belonging – an enhanced one-year package of support which recognises the commitment we need from our foster carers to give these children a bright future.
Bridge to Belonging covers a number of stages, all aimed at supporting you, and the young person, every step of the way. These are:
Find out more information about the support offered at each stage of Bridge to Belonging.
Doing the groundwork is an essential starting point. We’ll pay special attention to any existing relationships the young person has, plus take into account the emotional effects of leaving the residential setting.
You’ll get tailored learning and development to help you understand the journey the young person has been on plus professional membership offering peer support, wellbeing and training opportunities.
Matching the right foster carer to the right child is something we take really seriously at Team Fostering, and it’s even more essential to get this right for these children. They’ll be heavily involved in the matching process and we’ll work really closely with their residential carers to find out what their needs are and how best we – and you as a foster carer – can meet them.
The key to a successful transition between the residential setting and a family home is ensuring a strong relationship between you and the residential carers.
You’ll have plenty of opportunities which allow you to build these relationships as well as mentors to bridge the gap between their past and current environment.
In the early weeks we’ll focus on providing support which is flexible and tailored to your needs plus maintaining a sense of continuity for the young person – from relationships to educational settings.
Whether you need a quick check in, space to share and offload or more specific, targeted support – we’ll be here for you.
It doesn’t just end there. We’re dedicated to using all the tools we have to plan support needs beyond the first year.
To find out more about Bridge to Belonging and Step Down Fostering with Team Fostering, complete our enquiry form below, chat to one of our advisors on Live Chat or call us on 0800 292 2003. We’d be happy to answer all of your questions.
