Fostering unaccompanied minors
Fostering unaccompanied asylum-seeking children can be extremely rewarding as you provide them with a safe, nurturing home.
When an unaccompanied child arrives in the UK, they’re looked after by the local authority who will safeguard and promote their welfare. Often, they’ll be placed with foster families while their care plans are arranged.
Most of the time, these young people will have travelled great distances to flee war, political violence, threats to life, fear of recruitment into armed groups or exposure to exploitation and abuse. They’ve left their families, friends, home and culture behind them and have arrived in a place where the language and customs are strange to them.
We’re looking for individuals from all different ethnic backgrounds to care for a significant number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children arriving in the UK.
Could you foster an asylum-seeking child?
Many of the children who have come to the UK seeking asylum will have experienced some form of childhood trauma. As a foster parent, you’ll need to work closely with our specialist therapeutic team to provide the young person with the support they need to begin to heal from this trauma.
Asylum seeking children are also likely to have different cultural, religious, social, familial and language experiences, which you’ll need to understand, value and maintain while helping them to successfully integrate into their new life in the UK.
SPECIALIST TRAINING AND SUPPORT
As an ISP foster parent, you’re supported by an entire network of professionals, including social workers, fostering advisors and therapists, who are on hand to offer expert support and guidance, whenever you need it.
We offer specialist training in caring for asylum-seeking children and our qualified team are on hand to support you and provide all the guidance you need. We also offer access to interpreters, so communication becomes easier for you.
We’re highly experienced in caring for unaccompanied children and have built links with a broad range of local communities to help young people develop their own sense of identity.
FOSTERING ALLOWANCES
When you join ISP, you’ll receive a weekly fostering allowance when a young person is placed with you – from £524 - £664 per child, per week, depending on your experience and area. This fee comprises of two elements:
- A child allowance to cover all expenditure in relation to the child in your care
- A foster parent fee to reward you for undertaking the fostering task
You’ll also receive a holiday and summer activity allowance to encourage enriching life experiences for young people in foster care.
Other types of fostering
There are a number of different types of foster care placements, including:
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