How We Work

icanfoster

 

inspire children always, never forget our strength together ensures results

 

Things are different at icanfoster

With its Head Office in Telford, icanfoster is an agency established to meet the needs of children in the West Midlands area.  From this hub we support icanfoster families and their children with a dynamic team of Supervising Social Workers, Family Support Team and Therapists led by an inspirational Management Team, who have a vast range of experience in foster care.  Backed up by an incredibly efficient Administration Support Unit, this motivated team of professionals are there to ensure icanfoster foster carers get all the help, advice, support and training needed to inspire children and help them recover from trauma.

 

icanfoster Team

 

You !

Without icanfoster foster carers there is no agency!  icanfoster foster carers are the most important members of the team around the child.  Let’s face it, fostering can be stressful and challenging, so we need inspirational people who really want to change a child’s life forever.  The team are here to help you in this, but it is your love, care and support that makes the biggest difference.  That is why you are so important!

 

icanfoster Supervising Social Worker

You will get to know your Supervising Social Worker (SSW) very well in your career with icanfoster.  They are your direct link with the wider world of Social Work.  They will be there to support you at meetings, help and advise you if things get challenging and help you recognise the difference you are making to a child in your care.  They make sure you get the services needed to help the child progress, i.e. liaise with schools, medics and many other professionals that are involved in the life of the foster child.  They supervise your progress as an icanfoster foster carer and provide you with essential training.  They help you to celebrate the highs and put any lows into perspective, usually over a coffee and cake.  You are important to us and your SSW makes sure you know how essential your input is.

 

icanfoster Family Support Team

There are times icanfoster foster carers need practical support and this is where the Family Support Team step in.  Whether it is helping out with transport, providing immediate respite by taking a child on an activity, or planned support, so you can have time out for a coffee and catch up with a friend (essential for solo foster carers), then the FST are here to help.  When a placement begins, sometimes there is a delay in accessing education.  While your ‘ever so friendly’ SSW resolves that for you, a member of the FST will provide education based activities to help keep your foster child occupied.

 

icanfoster Therapy

Most children will respond to the love, care and stability icanfoster foster carers give them.  For a few this is not enough and they require a range of therapeutic services to help them progress, or ensure the progress made is long term.  At icanfoster we use a number of recognised therapeutic approaches to help the child and foster carer form a lasting bond.  All icanfoster foster carers will receive Theraplay training, but some children will have direct work with support provided by a qualified Theraplay worker, or by using Animal Assisted Therapy to help the child form relationships.

Caring for children who have suffered abuse and neglect can have a long term impact on the wellbeing of icanfoster foster carers and this is another important aspect of the Therapists’ role.  They are there to help you explore the feelings generated by exposure to a child’s traumatic life history.

 

icanfoster Administration Support Unit

Working behind the scenes and seldom seen, the icanfoster Administration Support Unit (ASU) ensure the smooth operation of the agency.  They make sure your SSW has all the information and reports you need, make your Form F assessment to become an icanfoster foster carer as hassle free as possible, help you by making any paperwork as straightforward as possible and most importantly make sure you are paid on time and correctly!