Is it time to take the leap and start fostering with Affinity?

Published 19 Jan 2022

As we settle into the new year, many of us find ourselves questioning whether we need to make changes in our lives. New years come with a feeling of freshness and promise, a blank canvas for us to mould, and it makes sense that January is the time when many find themselves considering new careers. There is also a need for a fresh and nurturing start for many children and young people. Christmas and the festive season can be a difficult time of year, and the queue for new fostering placements never gets any shorter.

Affinity Fostering welcomes foster carers from all walks of life into our family. From experienced foster carers looking for a new agency to work with to people who are considering a career change and want to transfer their skills to help young people in need, we’re open to all applications.

There are many myths connected to becoming a foster carer, and we frequently hear potential applicants saying that they wouldn’t be suitable because they don’t fit specific criteria. Most of the barriers we hear simply aren’t true. You don’t need to own your home, be in a relationship, or have had experience with children of your own to become a loving and patient foster carer. You also don’t need specific qualifications; we provide a comprehensive training programme for anyone entering the Affinity fostering family. What you do need is to show that you are organised, resilient, calm, and that you can adapt and work with children and young people who may exhibit some challenging behaviour. Basically, you have to care.

We believe that everyone involved with Affinity deserves to be nurtured and respected. So, in exchange for opening your home to a young person or child who needs a safe and nurturing environment, we provide a comprehensive care package, ensuring that you are supported all the way through your fostering journey.

It includes:

· A dedicated Supervising Social Worker who supports and guides you through your fostering career.

· Round the clock support and advice from our on-call service, constantly manned by trained social workers

· Support and social groups with other foster carers

· Bespoke training specifically designed for you and to meet your needs

· Membership of FosterTalk who provide a range of additional resources

· A weekly allowance for fostering, which is between £399 to £714 per placement, mostly tax-free and dependent upon the type of fostering you provide (you can find out more here: Types of Fostering

· Annual Foster Carer Conferences during the festive season, which provide an excellent sharing arena, learning environment and festivities.

· Specific Support Workers who are employed to support Affinity’s Foster Carers and their young people

· Matching is paramount – the right child for your family

· A dedicated support team that cares about everyone within the Affinity Family.

It’s all about transferable skills.

You might not think that you have the skills to be a foster carer, but we think you’d be pleasantly surprised. Every career includes skills that you can transfer into foster care. It could be that you have management experience and are used to dealing with a team of people, listening to and adapting to their worries and concerns. You might have had a job role that required you to be highly organised. You may have had to follow specific policies and procedures (no matter how small). No matter what your previous career experience is, we feel safe in the knowledge that you’ll have some skills that you can bring to a fostering career.