Fostering in Wigan

Action for Children Fostering is looking to recruit more foster carers in Wigan to care for the many young people in this area who are in the care system through no fault of their own.

These vulnerable young people may have experienced abuse, neglect and trauma. They need foster carers who can give them stability, structure and a safe and loving environment.

You don’t need to be perfect to be a great foster carer, you just need to be you. You don’t need to have previous experience or be a parent. Action for Children Fostering will provide you with all the support and training you need. Our team in Wigan will be with you every step of the way.

If you have a spare room, an open heart and believe you could be the turning point in a young person’s life, contact our team in Wigan today, because who you are is just what they need.

Fostering payments are made up of a fee and an allowance. Fees and allowances only apply for the times when you have a young person in your care.

The fee part is for you, in recognition of the time, training and commitment that you put in to caring for a young person. Some foster carers refer to this as their pay. The allowance part is to cover the costs of looking after a child, such as food, clothing, toiletries and general day to day living. In addition to this, Action for Children Fostering can provide extra support for holidays, birthdays and other special circumstances.

Many factors are taken into account when calculating fee and allowance payments and the amount our foster carers are paid will vary depending on the type of fostering they do. For examples of different types of pay please go to our fostering payments page.

We make sure that you receive sufficient fees and expenses to support yourself and the child(ren) living with you. This means you can focus on caring without worrying about money.

To undertake the fulfilling role of being a foster carer, you need to receive the best care and support to make sure that you’re equipped and confident to meet the ongoing needs of the child or young person you’re caring for. All of our foster carers have a dedicated supervising social worker who will provide one-to-one help and advice whenever needed. We have small caseloads that allows our fostering social workers to give you the time, care and attention that you deserve.

When we explore fostering with you, we look at who you are, what your life looks like and how a young person could be themselves in your home. Our team sees you, supports you and is by your side every step of the way. Our team in Wigan will provide you with support that is truly shaped around your needs and your life. We have a 24 hour phone line with a social worker and team manager always on call so you’ll be able to get in touch with us at any time of the day or night, all year round.

Regular support groups and mentors

Our regular support groups give foster carers the chance to get together and meet people doing the same amazing thing. They’re facilitated by supervising social workers. From time to time, other team members or guests may attend.

Support groups provide:

• An opportunity for carers to share experiences of fostering and to learn from one another.
• Training opportunities.
• Support, information and advice to carers.
• An arena for discussing new developments, policies or procedures in the service.
• Peer support and friendship.

Our service in Wigan has a ‘buddy system’ where new foster carers are paired up with more experienced people. Often our carers say that talking to others and sharing their experiences is invaluable.

Clinical psychologists

In our Wigan service we have access to specialist, independent psychologists, Changing Minds UK.

Our foster carers have the opportunity to have regular sessions with a clinical phycologist to discuss any issues they are having on a personal level or with their young person.

For more details of the support we provide please go to our fostering support page.

We train all of our foster carers to a high standard. All training provided to you by Action for Children Fostering is free of charge and either online or at a venue local to you.

We have developed a framework for ongoing training to support our foster carers in the amazing work they do. The children in your care often have complex needs due to their life experiences. We have all the training opportunities you will need to effectively manage any challenging situation you may face.

Our framework recognises that fostering is a profession. We will encourage, support, and train you on an individual basis to gain the level of skills you need to be the foster carer that you want to be.

Our framework begins at pre-approval stage with our ‘Starting to Foster’ training and then takes you through the core modules required to foster. When you’re ready, we will plan and arrange advanced training in areas specific to your type of fostering and the children and young people you care for.

Action for Children Fostering training courses include:

Skills to Foster course

• This is usually a three-day course either in person or online that gives you a good introduction to fostering and everything involved. It will provide with you a better understanding of what your role as a foster carer requires, the experiences and needs of children in care and the behaviours you may need to manage. It will also cover the teams and other professionals who all work together and the day-to-day skills that all carers need.

Therapeutic parenting

• All of our carers are trained in attachment and developmental trauma and therapeutic parenting approaches using our HOMES framework. This framework aims to build supportive homes for children who have experienced trauma and loss Find out more about HOMES.

Safeguarding

• Training sessions cover the essentials, like child safety and development, as well as policies and procedures. We also run specialist training and explain some of the issues young people deal with, including bullying on social media and gang culture. You’ll get ideas, resources and tools to help you. You’ll be trained in first aid, health & safety and receive comprehensive training on understanding the behaviours and needs of children in care.

Developing fostering skills

We want you to feel confident that you’re fully equipped to welcome a young person into your home. We provide you with ongoing training, even after you’ve been approved, so that you can continue to develop your skills and knowledge about fostering. You’ll have regular supervision sessions to guide and support you, where you can talk through with your dedicated social worker any additional training needs you have.

When you become an approved foster carer with Action for Children Fostering, we’ll create an annual training plan with you. As well as mandatory training, we’ll offer you ongoing training depending on your needs and the needs of your young person. Your social worker will keep a record of your training and development on your file.

Please look at our fostering training page for more details.

Almost anyone can foster. If you’re over 21, a permanent resident with the right to work in the UK and have a spare room, the chances are that you can be a foster carer.

Action for Children foster carers come from all walks of life. A wide range of foster carers will give us more choice to better match with the diverse range of children and young people who need a safe and loving home.

We’re looking for caring people in Wigan who can give a child in need their time, attention, affection and a safe, nurturing place to call home.

Foster carers need to be great listeners, optimistic, realistic, warm and passionate. If you have space in your heart to change a child’s life - you can be a good foster carer. You don’t need to be perfect; you just need to be you.

Foster carers can be single, married or somewhere in between. Homeowners or tenants. With children, no children or a house full of pets. Action For Children Fostering welcomes people from all ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds, with disabilities and the LGBTQ+ community. There’s zero pressure and zero commitment when you first explore fostering.

Whatever stage of life you’re at, if you could provide a child with loving care, stability and support and you’re committed and keen to learn, you could start your fostering journey with us. Just bring who you are and we’ll bring support shaped around you.

Find out more about who can foster.