Pre-Stage 1
Initial Enquiry – this is simply getting in touch with us to have a chat. We appreciate that this can sometimes be the hardest part for a lot of people, but rest assured, you are not making a commitment, nor are you having to tell your life story down the phone, it is just a way for you to find out more information about fostering.
Initial Visit – This is where a member of our experienced social work team will come out to your house to meet you. This is our way of getting to know you and your circumstances better and a way for you to find out more about St David’s. Before your visit, we will provide you with some of things we will talk about and also what is expected from the visit.
Application Form – This is the formal application indicating that you wish to start the process of assessment with St David’s Fostering Service. Once we accept your Application, you begin.
Stage 1
This stage is all about training and checks. From the point of your Application Form being accepted Stage 1 lasts around 2 months. You will be invited to attend our three-day ‘Skills to Foster’ training and our admin team will begin obtaining all of the checks we are required to record. There are several checks we will ask for and these are listed in our FAQs page. During this time, you will also be allocated your Social Worker.
Stage 2
This is the getting to know you part of the process where you regularly meet your Social Worker so that they can complete your assessment, known as a ‘Form F’. This should take four months to complete and be prepared for some homework and lots of talking. We recognise that the assessment process can be daunting but we are there to support you through the process. We aim to be open and honest with you throughout the entire journey.
Fostering Panel and Decision
The fostering panel for St David’s sits at our Cardiff office and it is where your Form F is read by panel members with relevant experience, they will meet with you and your social worker. The panel make a recommendation to our Agency Decision Maker who will decide if you should be an approved foster carer. Many people find this part of the process the most nerve wracking, but your social worker will be by your side to support you and the panel members role is to ensure that you are fully prepared. The panel has twenty-four hours to make their recommendation and the Agency Decision Maker has ten working days to make their decision.
Matching with a Child/ren
Once you are approved, you will be available for children to be placed with you. Children are referred to us through a family finding platform. Here we can look at profiles of children needing foster placements and match them with you. Our social workers will work closely with you to ensure that the right matches are made to achieve best outcomes for you and for the children needing foster families.
Placement and Ongoing Support
Once a child has been placed with you and your family, you will work alongside your supervising social worker and the child’s social worker on implementing the plan for the child. You will have access to our therapeutic and training partners, will benefit from high quality resources, support groups, and training to make certain that you are able to promote positive outcomes for the child in your care as well as for yourself and your family.
Contact Us
If you want to talk to somebody about your own circumstances and are interested in fostering, our knowledgeable, experienced and friendly staff are here to talk to.
