You may have heard about fostering on tv or in a book on the subject, but what actually is it? Fostering provides a safe environment for young people who are unable to live at home with their birth family. Foster care is all about making sure that children and young people are provided with the best possible support from those around them. That’s Compass Fostering as a service, the role of a foster carer and social workers coming together as a team to work towards the best possible outcome for each child in our care.
What do Compass Fostering do?
Compass Fostering are an independent fostering agency, which is different from a local authority. We have an important job at Compass, it’s to provide the best possible care and support for children and young people who haven’t had the best start in life.
We provide support for each of our carers too, from first-time foster families to experienced carers in search of new challenges.
We work with foster parents of all kinds who want to provide safe, welcoming, nurturing homes for our children. Keeping young people safe, meeting their physical and personal needs and promoting educational and independent skills are the main aspects of a foster carer’s role.
Why Compass?
We know that there are a lot of choices out there when it comes to fostering. Making sure you’re making the best choice for you is important when deciding what agency or Local Authority suits you and your family.
Our supportive network of local staff are there at every step: we’ll help you through the assessment process, support you through every fostering arrangement, and provide the development and training to take on new challenges as you grow more experienced.
At Compass we give carers the opportunity to build a career in fostering through:
- Specialist training
- Mentoring
- Involvement in local support groups
- Recruiting other carers
Our aim is to always improve your fostering skills so that you are able to offer the best quality of care to the children and young people you care for.
What are the “fostering standards”?
If you’re interested in fostering a child, you might be wondering about the UK National Standards for foster care. These are set out by the UK government, and give important guidance for fostering services, local authorities and foster carers.
How to foster a child
There are six main stages to your fostering journey with us, and it all begins with a conversation. We’ve put together a guide breaking down each stage of how to foster a child.
If you’re interested in how you can change a child’s life by becoming a foster carer, find out how to become a foster parent.