“The days of a foster kid turning up on your doorstep with nothing but a black bin bag of belongings are fortunately long gone” says Kay Gibson, Manager of the Intensive Fostering Service (IFS) provided by the Kibble Centre in Paisley. But she continues “there is a critical shortage of 1,700 foster carers in Scotland.”
Now in its fourth year, IFS is recruiting carers and offering a rewarding career in fostering with professional training, round-the-clock support and the opportunity to see a young person come on by leaps and bounds.
IFS is unique to Scotland in its emphasis on finding foster placements for adolescent boys, combined with a placement for every young person - either at Kibble's school or at a KibbleWorks employment training enterprise. Kay Gibson describes the valuable support network for each young person. “With IFS the young person attends Kibble on weekdays where specialist care and education staff are on hand. So it is not just the foster carer who is responsible for providing stability and support.”
We provide an integrated service that provides a high level of support for carers who foster young people with challenging behaviour. Young people who are fostered remain the legal responsibility of either the local authority or the young person's birth parents. Foster carers will not be able to make major decisions for that young person without permission, though they will have responsibility for the everyday care of a young person fostered with them. Intensive Fostering can provide the care and support missing from a young person's life at a time when they need it most.
The young people are aged 12 - 18 and have often had difficult or damaging experiences in their lives. This may have included neglect and abuse.
The biggest kick from my job is seeing the young person I'm fostering come on in leaps and bounds.— Tommy Arthur, Foster Carer
Therefore, they may be angry and lack trust in adults and their behaviour will be difficult and demanding at times. Caring for these young people is challenging, but also very rewarding. We want these young people to become members of safe and caring families, where they will have a chance to fulfil their potential. Short term and long-term placements i.e. under or over 2 years are planned; to match the young person's needs with the skills and experience of their foster carers.
Our professional foster carers are over 21 years and no more than around 40 years older than the young people placed with them. Single carers and couples have a supportive network of friends and family who can emotionally and practically support their role as professional foster carers. Foster families with children have children who are at least two years older than the young people placed. Foster families without children will not be engaged in undertaking any infertility treatment. Our foster families reflect the diversity of our communities and come from all walks of life. They have had previous experience with adolescents developing into adulthood through volunteering, parenting or working. As professional foster carers they acknowledge the difference between parenting their own and other people's children. They work as part of a professional team along-side relevant people and professionals involved in meeting the young people's unique needs. They will mainly work with one foster placement at any time.
Foster placements are referred through Social Workers within the placing authority. Initial contact by the Social Worker will discuss the suitability of placement and where that fits into the overall care plan. Social Workers who would wish to consider a placement at Kibble should discuss this with the screening group, which operates within their authority. Referral papers can then be formally submitted to Kibble. Kibble will check with the relevant local authority and their fund manager to confirm that they are happy to proceed with the placement request. Kibble will then send a funding authorization form to the fund manager. Once a placement has been identified, a Linking Meeting would be arranged to allow the relevant professionals to meet with Carers and identify how Kibble can best meet young person's needs. A subsequent Planning Meeting involving the young person and relevant persons will agree planned introductions with the young person and Carers including day visits and overnights. When a placement start date is identified the Social Worker will request a children's hearing.
It may be that young people referred currently receive a residential and educational placement within Kibble Education and Care Centre. We welcome opportunities to provide integrated service provision. In such circumstances the above linking and planning meetings will still need to take place for Kibble's Intensive Fostering Services. This will support the seamless integration of the young person's evolving care plan whilst promoting continuity of care.