Council chiefs are celebrating the start of Foster Care Fortnight with the announcement that they are officially recognised as a Fostering Friendly Employer.
Thanks to its commitment to making it easier for colleagues who are interested in fostering for North Tyneside, or currently fostering, North Tyneside Council is now accredited by The Fostering Network.
Under new guidance, colleagues who are registered foster carers or preparing to become foster carers, will be able to request paid time off up to 5 days per year to help them in their fostering role. Foster carers will also be eligible for unpaid parental leave which is already available to colleagues who are parents with a child under age 18.
It will allow time for meetings with social workers, support a child to settle into their care, attend training sessions and further encourage flexible working options.
It’s hoped that by adding more flexibility to the organisation and breaking the myth that you can’t foster alongside paid employment, that more residents and colleagues will consider providing a safe home to children and young people in care.
It has wider aspirations for the borough too. The Council wants to encourage and support more employers in the borough to join them, and other employers in the region to become fostering friendly employers.
One council employee who’s set to benefit from the introduction of the additional fostering friendly support is Michelle. After years of experience caring for a younger child in need, she started her role as a Foster carer in August 2022 and is extremely grateful for the support, she said:
“I’ve worked for North Tyneside Council since I was 16, and they’ve always supported me to work flexibly around my caring responsibilities, and I’m lucky to have a great work life balance which meant that taking the step to become a foster Carer was something I knew I would be supported to do.
“By having support from my employer allows me to confidently work full time, give a child the support they need and have time to develop my skills.
“My role means I often need to attend meetings and training, whether that’s at school, with social workers or in-person training and I already know that these additional days will give me more flexibility to attend them, around my job role, all without the added pressure of ensuring I’m managing my time at work and home.
“I’ve always had flexibility in my job role, and I hope that by speaking about my experience, and through this new policy, that I can encourage more people who work to consider fostering and more organisations to join us in being Fostering Friendly. There’s a misconception that you need to be at home full time to be a foster carer, but it’s not true and you can absolutely have a career and still provide care and support for a child.”
Michelle spoke about her journey into fostering too, and the other support she has which allows her to work and foster:
“I’d say I’m a naturally caring person, it’s in my nature as I come from a family of caring people. I’ve supported a family member in my care for years as well as having my own children, and now they’re older and have flown the nest, I knew I still had love and care to give to children who might need it.
“When I started fostering, I was assessed as a short break foster carer, which meant I was caring for children and young people on the occasional weekends and school holidays, and it has worked really well for me, so while I continue to do this on occasions, I’ve decided to fully commit to a child who has been in my care for a number of months and become their ‘long term foster carer’.
“I was initially worried about being a single parent during the assessment, but I’ve got loads of support without even looking to my family in the first instance. Schools are understanding and supportive, other foster Carers support each other, and then there’s the Fostering Team and Social Workers who don’t I’m sure receive the credit they truly deserve for the support they give to foster carers. I’m surrounded by people who care and want to support, therefore fostering for me is ‘rewarding and an enjoyable experience’.
Cllr Steven Phillips, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Learning at North Tyneside Council, said: “I’m incredibly proud that North Tyneside Council has been recognised as a Fostering Friendly employer.
“Our fostering service does an outstanding job at supporting foster carers and children and young people, and this is a fantastic step forward to show our commitment to supporting foster carers in our borough.
“We know that being a Foster Care is life changing and that there’s lots of myths around the role of a foster carer and we hope that by building in even more flexibility for our colleagues we can truly showcase the varied support and options we have available.
“Foster carers come from all walks of life. As long as you can provide a safe and secure home to a young person, whether that’s a few days a month or longer term, we’d love to hear from you.”
The Executive Chair of The Fostering Network UK, Mervyn Erskine, said: “Becoming a Fostering Friendly employer is something to be really proud of. Foster carers are the bedrock of children’s social care – for the difference they make to the lives of children. It is important that this vital role is not only recognised, but also encouraged by their employers.
“By supporting existing foster carers and promoting the role to other employees, this helps to build on the thousands of extra fostering households needed in the UK, for the children who need them most.
“The scheme is free to join and suitable for organisations of any size – please get in touch with The Fostering Network to join the growing number of Fostering Friendly employers’”
North Tyneside Council is recruiting foster carers now. It has a range of flexible roles on offer including full time, short break and emergency care which can be adapted to a carers availability.
If you have the capacity to welcome a young person into your home and offer care, support, and commitment, get in touch with North Tyneside’s Fostering Team on 0191 643 2540 or email fostering@northtyneside.gov.uk
