Navigating the Fostering Assessment Process with Ben Rice

Barnardo's Fostering & Adoption NI · 2023-08-30

So you’re interested in fostering?

What happens after you make first contact?

What kinds of questions will you be asked? What can you expect? What kind of information will you be given? What is the assessment process like? What happens on a home visit?

Will you be expected to know what kind of fostering you want to do from the off? (And what if you don’t yet know?)

Who and what are the ‘Panel’? And what happens when you are invited in front of them?

And how long will this all take?

For someone new to the world of fostering it can all seem a bit daunting so let's ease those worries and make the unfamiliar, familiar. Join us, as we uncover the fostering assessment process with seasoned expert, Ben Rice, the practice manager at Bernardo's Fostering and Adoption in Northern Ireland.

In this compelling conversation, Ben enlightens us on the different types of foster care: emergency, short term, long term, and foster-to-adopt. He walks us through the four-session preparation course that potential foster carers and adopters undertake, highlighting the indispensable role of foster parents in the daily lives of the children. We unravel the critical issues such as age requirements, experience with children, convictions, and the importance of a secure and nurturing home environment.

Finally, we delve into the decision-making process post-assessment, shedding light on how the fostering panel and social worker's roles contribute. From assessing an applicant's comprehension of fostering to ensuring the entire family's support, we cover it all. So, buckle up as we navigate the timescales of the assessment process, discuss how to prepare for the panel's decision, and equip you for this life-altering adventure. Let's journey together, shaping futures one foster child at a time.

Learn more about fostering and adoption with Barnardo’s:
https://www.barnardos.org.uk/get-support/fostering-and-adoption

To learn more about fostering and adoption in NI, visit our Linktr.ee:
https://linktr.ee/barnardosfosteringni

To ask a question, give us some feedback or make a topic request, email us at:
[email protected]

Foster belonging with us!

Barnardo's Fostering & Adoption NI

Interested in fostering or adoption? Not sure where to start?

Meet Barnardo's Fostering & Adoption here in NI. Your guide is Ness who looks after recruitment and is not a social worker.

Let Ness introduce you to the wider team, to foster carers and adopters who are willing to share their experiences and give you (and Ness) insights into the world of fostering and adoption. What is it really like? What is 'Panel'? What kind of training can you expect? What sort of support will you get? Will you be able to work and foster? What is the difference between fostering and adoption?

This is the place to find answers to these questions and more. Over the coming months, we will be talking through the application process, the kinds of professional training and support you can expect and the different types of fostering, including fostering to adoption and parent and child placements. We will speak with those who've walked the walk (and can talk the talk) from both our NI service and those across the UK.

Barnardo's needs more families, couples and single carers, from all walks of life, whether they are considering fostering and/or adoption, to ensure that when children need a loving family, the right one is there for them. Could it be you?

Learn about Fostering & Adoption with Barnardo's here: https://www.barnardos.org.uk/get-support/fostering-and-adoption

To learn more about Fostering and Adoption with us in Northern Ireland, visit our Linktr.ee here: https://linktr.ee/barnardosfosteringni

To ask a question, give us some feedback or make a topic request, contact us at [email protected].

Together, we can change lives. #fosterbelongingwithus

Image credit: main: Janine Boyd Photography, banner: Katherine Hanlon, Unsplash

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