Level 5 Fostering

What is Fostering

For a variety of reasons some young people need to be cared for by a family other than their own.

Foster carers are the people who look after such young people until a decision is made about their future. In some cases foster carers may need to care for a child until they reach adulthood.

What is Level 5?

The Level 5 Project is one strand of the Vulnerable Children's Division Placement Strategy. It is aimed at recruiting experienced foster carers who are able to provide long term placements for young people who are difficult to place due to challenging or risky behaviour. This means that carers recruited to the Level 5 project will already have had some relevant professional childcare experience either as an established foster carer with a proven track record on sustaining and supporting a child with complex needs through to independence, or have worked with children in a professional capacity, for example as a residential social worker.

Why Level 5?

A Level 5 placement is truly a different way of fostering. Its aim is to provide secure, long term, family based placements to young people who may display difficult and challenging behaviour due to their previous experiences. In order to promote a child's capacity to achieve, Level 5 placements are matched very carefully using a Resilience based approach.

Evidence from research tells us that children are best able to overcome adversities if they have strong support networks, positive school experiences, a belief that their own efforts can make a difference, opportunities that promote competence / emotional maturity and exposure to challenges that develop problem solving and emotional coping skills. The single most important factor in promoting resilience in children, however, is a secure and supportive family. This is where you come in.

Who are these young people?

• Aged between 10-15 years
• Currently placed in a residential setting
• May have experienced multiple moves
• Present risk factors which indicates they need a single placement
• Evidence of previous attachment to care givers
• Expressing an interest in wanting to live in a long term family setting
• Regularly attending some form of Educational Provision
• In need of long term fostering

What does this mean for you?

If you are approved as a Level 5 carer we would expect you to:-

• Offer a long term placement to a child through to independence with intensive support
• Provide the young person with a bedroom of their own
• Provide one adult to be available at all times to the young person
• Agree to an enhanced Criminals Record Bureau check and Medical
• Attend initial and ongoing training
• Meet regularly with the project team, including the project Psychologist
• Work together with the young person, their parents, and all key agencies towards the aim of enabling the young person to develop social and skills- based competencies
• Attend regular monthly meetings to maintain the short and long term plans for the young person
• Be emotionally available to a young person at all times
• The capacity to fully engage with the professional task of fostering in line with the Children's Workforce Development Standards

What will you get from us?

• Direct support from the Project Psychologist
• An independent mentor for each child placed in a Level 5 placement
• Weekly placement support visits from your allocated Placement Support worker, including dedicated supervision
• Monthly Post Placement Support meetings
• Built in respite
• A professional fee of £450 per week, plus an allowance to cover the cost of caring for the young person
• Specialist pre and post approval training

For more information please contact the Family Placement Team at:

Stafford Area Office,

The Business Centre,

Madford Retail Park,

Foregate Street,

Stafford ST16 2PA

Telephone: 0800 16 92 061

Email: fostering@staffordshire.gov.uk