Foster Care
"Children will not remember you for the material things you provided but for the feeling that you cherished them."
Richard L. Evans
A specialist fostering agency for children and young people with disabilities and complex medical needs
Shared Care Services is at the forefront of providing loving and nurturing foster families for children and young people with disabilities. We recruit, train and support foster carers to meet the needs of children with disabilities and complex needs. Our quality standards are reviewed continually for improvement. Together as a team, we achieve the best outcomes for the children in our care. We have consistently achieved a ‘Good’ rating from Ofsted for our foster care services, more information can be found here.
Our Foster Carers
To meet the care needs and support children from diverse backgrounds, we have recruited foster carers from varied cultural backgrounds to care for children and young people with disabilities and complex medical conditions. Our foster carers are trained to care for special needs children regardless of their ethnicity, religion, cultural background, sexual orientation, etc.
Shared Care Services will recruit all foster carers who are aged 21 & above, who are renting or are homeowners with enough space to accommodate a child with special needs.
We are looking for people who will care for a foster child as they care for their birth children. You would receive a generous weekly fostering allowance depending upon the age and severity of the disability. For further details, please contact us.
Since its inception, Shared Care Services has worked with children with disabilities and complex medical needs. We support children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder, mild to moderate Autism and Asperger’s syndrome. There are also children with accompanying learning disabilities and/or epilepsy with or without ASD. Most of our caregivers have previous experience of working in social care or education sector. In addition to their statutory training, foster carers also receive autism-specific training. Furthermore, the children we care for may have one or more diagnoses such as Tracheostomy, Gastrostomy, Naso-Gastric Tube Feeding, Cerebral Palsy, Visual or Hearing Impairment, Learning Difficulties, or Life-Limiting Conditions. We have developed expertise in supporting children with disabilities to achieve the best outcomes for them whilst placed with our foster carers.
Testimonials
Placements
Shared Care Services offer long-term, short-term, emergency and respite placements.
If there are any identified gaps in the foster carer’s skills, we ensure that they are trained specifically in these skills before the placement starts. The main priority is the child’s welfare and their individual needs. Shared Care Services provides positive and consistent responses to these needs. The report gives plenty of information about the child’s routine, likes, dislikes and essential care guidelines to ensure the carer knows what they need. In addition, the Needs & Risks Assessment is completed to help manage health & safety and children’s welfare.
Before agreeing to placements, we complete a comprehensive matching process to ensure that all aspects of care can be met.
Quality Practise Standards
Shared Care Services recognises that a child’s needs are best met in the setting of a nurturing family, which is what we aim to achieve within our foster care division.
We are committed to providing fostering services that meet minimum legislative care standards and exceed them in some areas. We aim to be equal to or better than the best. We provide value for money to Local Authorities and high standards of care that save social workers and managers valuable time.
Our philosophy is to show positive regard for the child’s ethnic, religious, and cultural needs. The primary driver of Shared Care Services is to work towards ensuring that all children, whatever their background or circumstances, should have the support they need to be healthy, stay safe, enjoy, and achieve.
At Shared Care Services, we are committed to our philosophy of working in partnership with children & young people, their carers, commissioning agencies, and other professionals. We involve children & young people, and we encourage children to participate in all decision-making processes. The children's involvement is essential to ensure that the children remain the focus of the support and that their preferences and opinions are listened to when planning and delivering the services. Shared Care Services is guided by the principle of equality and focuses on eliminating barriers, limiting access to support education, and the ability to integrate into the educational, social, and cultural activities available in the wider community. We strive to meet the individual needs of children with disabilities in their educational, recreational, and sporting interests by facilitating and encouraging their participation. At Shared Care Services, we understand that children with disabilities are not considered fully integrated by simply being with their peers; rather, their interaction and active participation with other children aid integration.