We are urgently seeking foster carers across Lancashire to help provide homes for young parents and their children through a unique initiative, Parent and Child.

We received 595 referrals in just 19 months for Parent and Child foster placements and are in need of potential foster carers to come forward and help meet the rising demand.

This placement is often an alternative to a residential family centre and involves carers taking a parent and child into their home temporarily, offering invaluable support and guidance while allowing the family unit to stay together in a safe environment.

Rebecca Hughes, Fostering Service Manager at Caritas Care said: “Referrals to the charity for parent and child placements have increased significantly in the last two years. Young parents sometimes find it overwhelming looking after babies or toddlers alone. We are looking for foster carers who can provide the right type of support for them, helping the family unit stay together for the longer term.”

Foster carers work in unison with young parents, often using the skills they have learned whilst bringing up their own children to contribute towards the improvement of the young person’s parenting abilities. They will also monitor their progress by keeping records.

People interested in offering a parent and child placement will also receive extensive training to develop their skills, support from a social worker who has specialist knowledge of parent and child foster placements alongside a financial allowance.

We acknowledge that this may not always be plain sailing and that young parents do occasionally encounter problems when caring for a child. That’s why there is support available for foster carers to work through any potential challenges encountered.

Through this placement, the carers are not taking on the parenting role of the child themselves but providing guidance and support, allowing the parent to care for their child semi-independently.

Caritas Care foster families come from all walks of life and each has their own unique story to tell. The one thing they all share is a desire to make a positive difference to the life of the young person they care for. People interested in becoming a foster carer with Caritas Care receive good training, practical and financial support as well as the reward of making a difference to a young life and their own.

We are an outstanding fostering agency, so if you would like to join us and be outstanding too please contact our friendly team on 0800 652 6955 or click here to get in touch.

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