WHAT IS ENHANCED FOSTERING?
We are delighted to bring to the organisation our new and innovative Enhanced Fostering Service whereby we are increasing the number of foster carers who can provide a home for the most troubled and traumatised children. Our specialist service is in high demand as Local Authorities are finding a greater need for Enhanced foster care placements.
Children and young people who require a Enhanced foster placement are likely to have had previous placement breakdowns whereby the standard fostering placement has been unsuccessful or where their adoption placement has broken down. Alternatively, some of our young people have successfully completed treatment in a more restrictive setting such as a residential home and are ready to step-down into a family environment.
Children and young people requiring an enhanced foster placement usually have a high degree of developmental trauma which is impacting on their ability to connect to others in a family setting. We often find that Looked After Children’s past abuse and trauma have caused various different types of mental health conditions such as depression, psychosis, separation anxiety and/or self-harming and our goal is to reduce such symptoms so they can experience a fulfilling and positive childhood.
We understand how difficult it can be to care for a child or young person whose emotional needs are complex and demanding and hence fully recognise how we must provide the best possible support to our foster carers. In doing so we have commissioned a Enhanced framework to our fostering programme known as The ARC© Framework which is a practical guide to trauma-informed care and parenting for children and young people by their foster carers.
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What a great time to think about Enhanced fostering! We at Sunbeam passionately believe every child deserves a loving and safe home.
Sunbeam fostering agency is committed to providing trauma-informed care. Our Enhanced fostering service is a specialised therapeutic approach to fostering children and young people. We have seen significant life changing and long-term positive outcomes for children in our care. There is a continual increased demand and need for Enhanced foster carers to care for the most vulnerable children. These children have experienced a higher degree of trauma, which impacts on their everyday life and therefore require more support on their path of recovery.
There are many children coming into care, whom with no fault of their own have had extremely difficult starts in life. We understand it is both rewarding and challenging caring for a child or young person with complex needs, hence we fully recognise how best to support our fostering families. In doing so we have commissioned a therapeutic model known as The ARC Framework which is a practical guide to trauma-informed care and parenting for children and young people by the foster carers. Sunbeam has adopted the ARC framework & ‘Secure Base Model’ to identify early childhood trauma when caring for looked after children. We are highly dedicated to supporting our fostering families to give the best possible outcomes for the children and young people in their care.
A child or young person will come with their individual needs and will benefit from therapeutic care, however the foundation they all need is a dedicated and tenacious foster carer that would like to make a positive difference and provide warmth, security, love, stability a family that can say we care.
