Family based short break care involves looking after a disabled child or young person for agreed short periods of time in your own home. This might be every weekend, a week every now and again or a regular overnight visit once a fortnight.
You can be a short break carer for Warrington if you:
- Have the time, space (you will need a spare bedroom), enthusiasm and commitment in your life to help a child or young person with a disability
- Can demonstrate the ability to work as part of a team which includes the child's parents, social workers, health and education partners
- Are willing to develop your skills through regular training
It doesn't matter if you:
- Are working, unemployed or retired
- Are gay, straight, single, married, divorced or living with your partner
- If you own your home or rent accommodation
- Do / don't have your own children, as long as you have some childcare experience
We want our foster carers to be as diverse as the children they look after, from all different walks of life, cultures and ages.
What qualifications and experience do I need?
You don’t need any special qualifications or previous experience, but plenty of common sense, patience, a willingness to learn, a good sense of humour and the flexibility to adapt to different situations.
Will I be paid?
Short break carers are paid an allowance for each visit, and you will also receive mileage expenses. Allowances are tax-free and will not affect state benefits or other income.
What support and training will I receive?
Short break carers will receive a wide range of support and training to ensure they can meet the needs of the child/young person that they care for. This will include general training such as disability awareness and health and safety, and will also include specific training to meet the child’s needs. All carer’s have access to support 24 hours a day in case they need advice.
What difference would I be making to the child and their family?
Case study:
Carla is 8 years old; she has a moderate learning difficulty and a hearing impairment, with only limited speech. Carla lives at home with her mum, dad and three brothers. For the past four years, Carla has enjoyed an overnight stay, once a month with her short break foster carers, Donna and Andy. She loves the time she spends with her 'other family' and it gives her birth parents time to spend with their three sons.
Donna and Andy gain a great deal of satisfaction caring for Carla. They know that the time they give makes a big difference to all the family. They have learnt many new skills, including a simple range of signs that Carla can understand.
Listen to two of our local foster carers explaining why they ‘share the care’ for local disabled children and young people.
Lowdown 1 (MP3 2MB) | Lowdown 2 (MP3 2MB)
How do I get involved?
If you think that short break care might be for you, find out more from our fostering team. Someone will come and visit you to chat more about the scheme and answer any questions you may have. You will be able to talk through the sort of help that you feel you can offer. If you decide to proceed, there will be an assessment process to go though, and other checks such as Criminal Record Bureau checks and references.
How would I be matched with a child?
The matching of a disabled child/young person to a short break family is really important. A good relationship between both families is vital as the child’s family need to have confidence in the people that their child is spending time with. A range of factors are taken into account such as personalities and lifestyle, the needs of the child, the time available, etc.
I’m interested, what do I do?
Contact the fostering team
Tel: 01925 442402 Email: fosteringinfo@warrington.gov.uk