Lambeth Council is seeking emergency foster carers to provide short-term care for children needing a place to stay at short notice. This can happen when a child is exposed to an unsafe environment, a sudden illness in the family, or other unanticipated situations.
What does an Emergency Foster Carer do?
As an Emergency Foster Carer, your role will be to help prepare the child for their next steps, including either returning to their home or a long-term foster care placement found by Lambeth’s Fostering team. These short-stay placements will last no longer than 14 calendar days at the maximum
You must be prepared and equipped to receive children in crisis at short notice and expect a higher level of social work involvement, meetings and appointments (e.g. medical etc), during the placement. We require at least 28 days’ notice if you decide you no longer wish to be part of this scheme.
You will be paid a £100 a week retainer when on the Emergency Duty Team (EDT) rota/actively considering EDT placements. You will also receive an additional amount of £200 per week each time an emergency placement is made from out of office hours, in recognition of the additional disruption to the household. These payments will be made in addition to the full weekly fostering allowance for each age band.
Why do children need emergency foster care?
Some of the reasons why children would need emergency foster care could be due to drug or alcohol misuse, as well as any physical or mental health problems. However, sometimes the parents of the children cannot cope with the demands of caring for a child. Having the option of emergency fostering allows these young people to be transferred into a safe environment. At the same time, Social Workers can assess the situation in the family home and decide on the next best steps for the child in foster care.
Get in contact
Please contact Lambeth’s Fostering Team now for an informal chat and more information:
Call: 020 7926 8710 | Email: fosteringduty@lambeth.gov.uk
Find out more: www.lambeth.gov.uk/foster
