Kat
When joining Coventry Fostering we were quite naive to the expectations and what fostering would look like for our family... we wanted to help, we wanted to give a child a secure environment and we wanted to share our spaces to enable a child a secure and loving home that supported their journey. We didn’t think about the admin, the training, the paperwork, the safety for not only the young person but the family, the home, the support network… even the pets! When I called to enquire we were directed to an information evening, we went in with our eyes wide shut and came out reeling, it took us a few weeks and a lot of conversations to contact the team and arrange a sit down at home.
During our sign up process, we had to complete a Form F, this is a look at your overall life including but not limited to finances, life experiences, medical history, children, pets, home life, parenting skills etc etc. In honesty this process was really draining, it takes hours to go through the various aspects of the form as they have to cover every last bit of your life in detail (as they should, the fact that it is so draining speaks to the through process). The social worker that completed the Form F was amazing and we had an open line of communication throughout to enable things to run smoothly, she was always professional and informative but supportive when dealing with difficult or emotive subjects, she really helped us to stay focussed and our Form F was completed in a timely manner as a result of her through work.
We have worked with several supervising social workers and have been supported by each one in an organic way that felt non-intrusive given that they have to visit your family home so frequently and perform unannounced visits annually. We have had one issue during our fostering career that was dealt with in a professional and timely manner, we never felt unsupported by our supervising social worker or the extended team and cannot fault the Service for their practice and support. We as foster carers keep an open line of communication with all professionals and if we have questions will ask directly, our supervising social workers have always encouraged our approach and got back to us in a timely manner. The support team structure works well in our experience and good practice reflects good working relationships.
Overall, as foster carers we feel supported, valued, respected and heard.