Successful outcomes

If you have already read practical advice on what it takes to become a Foster Carer, you will have an indication of what to expect. However, to really understand how fostering will affect not only you, but other members of your family and the children placed in your care, please read our case studies.

NB: Identities have been changed to protect anonymity, but all are based on real life situations.

Gary’s story

Research has shown that careful matching between the child and Foster Carer is more likely to result in positive outcomes. Gary’s story demonstrates how this process can bring the best results.

Having been known to Social Services from just four-weeks-old, Gary was referred to Outlook Fostering Services when he was 10. Before being placed with Outlook, he had been identified as having anger management difficulties. This had undoubtedly been exacerbated by the fact that he had previously lived in fifteen different homes and been excluded from school on a number of occasions.

Outlook Fostering took time to consider Gary’s specific needs in order to find a family that could provide him with the appropriate care, support and structure. Four years later, Gary has made significant progress, particularly at school. In fact, he has won awards for achievement and the high standard of his work.

From the outset, Gary’s new Foster Carers were committed to improving every aspect of his life. Their tenacity, combined with the support of the Outlook team, has given them the ability to deal with the challenges Gary presents, and make a real difference to his life.

Sally’s story

Taking care of a new baby doesn’t always come naturally. Sally’s story shows how fostering helps young mothers take responsibility and make considered choices.

Sally had been in care from the age of three, following serious neglect. Now 17, she was referred to Outlook Fostering for a parent and baby assessment just a few weeks before she was due to give birth to her own child.

Before becoming pregnant, Sally had found it difficult to care for herself, so her Social Workers were understandably concerned that she may not be able to look after her new baby. Because of this, her Local Authority needed a secure legal framework in order to protect the unborn child and an Interim Care Order was granted.

Following the birth, Sally and her new baby, Jack, were placed with an Outlook Foster Carer so that they could receive essential support and develop the parenting skills crucial at this early stage. At the same time, an experienced senior Social Worker carried out a Parenting Assessment, which was later submitted as the core of the Local Authority’s court report.

Initially, Sally made a good start and was given the time and space to develop both the mother/child relationship and her own parenting skills. As the twelve-week placement progressed, Sally was given more freedom and less supervision as appropriate. However, although Sally did well for the first four weeks, her parenting skills began to slip as she fell back into socialising. Therefore, her Foster Carer and assessing Social Worker provided Sally with relevant advice and guidance, helping her to decide what was best for Jack. He was subsequently freed for adoption.

Sally then moved into an independence programme; Jack remained with the carer, who facilitated the pre-adoption medicals and introductions, before he moved successfully into adoption.

A letter from Hannah

When Hannah was a child, her parents were Foster Carers. She wrote the following letter to help others understand what it can be like if your family decides to foster.

So what is fostering? Fostering is when you and your family decide to share your home with a child or young person who hasn’t got a family to live with. In my opinion, it is probably the most caring and sharing thing that anyone can do.

There are so many reasons why a child or young person might need somewhere to live. Sometimes a child’s parents cannot look after them because they are ill or they could be in prison. Sometimes they might even have died.

Your parents might have talked about fostering. If they have, it is very important that you talk to them about it, because, if anything is worrying you, you must speak up and make people listen. When my family started fostering, Outlook arranged for a Social Worker to come to our home and answer any questions that we had about fostering. The Social Worker then checks that your room is safe and that there is a spare bedroom for the child to stay in. Don’t worry – you won’t have to share your room as that wouldn’t be fair on you!

When the Social Worker said that our family was OK to foster, my parents were asked to go on a three-day training course, which explained fostering in a lot more detail.

It is strange sharing your parents and home with a new person. But there is always someone at Outlook that understands and is there to talk to and help you.

I think it’s best to remember how the child is feeling. You will be sharing experiences – some good and some bad. The Outlook team explained that it is really important to make the child feel happy and safe (it feels funny at first but you get used to it). And, once you get to know each other, you can have lots of fun. I did.

It really helps that Outlook doesn’t just put anyone into your home. They try really hard to find a child that will fit into your family. After all, they don’t want to upset your family. Before a child is placed, the Social Worker will ask lots of questions – everything from what you watch on TV, what time you go to bed, if you like sports and what schools you attend. It all helps to build a picture of your family and who will fit in well.

If your family are about to become Foster Carers, there’s lots to think about. And most of it is really good. And remember that if you have any questions, you can always call the team at Outlook.

I hope this helps, Hannah.

Young man from Albania aged 14 years

A arrived in England in August 2008 from Afganistan as an unaccompanied asylum seeker unable to speak English. Clearly he was traumatized and in need of a safe nurturing family. He was placed with our Foster Carers in Kent and quickly learnt the English language which enabled him to study and eventually achieve 18 A* GCSE’s.

This young man remained with his Foster Carers until July 2011 then continued to live with them on a supportive Lodgings basis.

A is currently at University in London and is also the Head Coach for Kent Cricket Club’s 9 to 15 age group. He is also now able to drive and the cricket club have provided him with a car.

More recently A has been invited to become an Ambassador for Outlook which he is embracing with great enthusiasm. He will also be assisting our Senior Support Worker on the Summer Activity Holiday.

We are pleased to announce that after almost a year of policy writing and staff recruitment, we have recently gained an Enhanced Accreditation from NACCC (National Association of Children’s Contact Centres) where we can now offer both supported and supervised contact.

The service is supported by a team of highly trained staff who offer flexible hours to accommodate our clients. For further information please contact us on 01233 610661 or  [email protected]

Below are a selection of compliments and comments from our service users and young people.

"All the staff at Outlook have been a pleasure to work with. They have understood the risks, communicated quickly and acurately. This case has had a really positive outcome and a significant part of that has been due to the input of Outlook Fostering." - A.L. Local Authority Social Worker

"Both L and J are fabulous carers and are a credit to the outlook fostering team. L and J are very friendly and approachable and clearly extend their family everytime they have a new foster child. They are very welcoming to both children and their social workers and are a pleasure to work with." - L.B. Local Authority Social Worker

"Just wanted to also say that the children are doing really well and the carers are doing an excellent job communicating and working with our service!" – S.M. Local Authority Social Worker

"I would also like to take this opportunity to thank your agency, especially P and S for all of their hard work with this family." – L.R. Local Authority Social Worker

"Further to my phone call this morning, I would like to say that I was very happy and pleased to see how well K has managed to settle in his placement with the Foster Carers. I have seen a positive change in his personal style, i.e. he had new and very smart clothes and Converse shoes he clearly loves. He was so proud when showing his new outfits to me! He also has a very smart hair cut and it would appear to me that he has started to develop a more positive self image. I was pleased to see that there were photographs of him on his bedroom wall. This is a very big step forward since he moved in with his Foster Carers. I was very pleased to see how well P and S were able to respond to K, and how well K was able to accept this! I have never before seen him that close to carers. I strongly feel that the carers are well able to support the planned move on to the new placement to help make it a success for K!" – C.S. Local Authority Senior Practitioner

"I have been singing your praises all day. As always, a fabulous review and both your commitment and professionalism shine through in that the boys are doing so well and you are clearly working consummately with the care plan and all the parties involved in it. Thank you." – D.D. Local Authority Social Worker

"The work submitted by the carers has been of an extremely high standard, which shows an in-depth knowledge of the subject matter. The assignments have been a pleasure to read and contain a great deal of research and hard work." – Niki Kelly Manager Skills4Learning

"The Foster Carers have done extremely well under the difficult circumstances and the children are happy in their care. In fact, L has written a letter requesting that he would like to remain forever with his carers. The children feel comfortable and relaxed in the household and they mix well with the Foster Carers' wider family. They feel loved. L has told me that he does not want to go back to his mother's care and wants to stay with the Foster Carers, which demonstrates how secure he feels with them. I have no concerns with the care the Foster Carers offer L and C." – M.K. Local Authority Social Worker

"The Foster Carers provided excellent care to the child and mother in this placement and continued to work hard to meet the aims of the placement despite the very difficult circumstances. The Social Worker supervising these carers also provided excellent service, clearly supporting the carers well in order that they were able to continue the placement and support them through some difficult situations. Communication with the local authority was also very good and I was kept informed at all times and any issue discussed and resolved quickly." – R.W. Local Authority Social Worker

"I have been working on the children's review report today and I have been very impressed with the reports written by you. In fact, I am plagiarising lots of the reports as you have written them so well! They are very informative and give a lovely 'snap shot' of each child individually; their personality really shines through. I am in no doubt the level of care, commitment and hard work you are providing along with your family, are helping the children grow and develop in all areas. They look delightful and I am hopeful that the Local Authority can find a fantastic couple who have tons of energy to help them grow up together." – D.S. Lead Independent Reviewing Officer

"I would like to thank you for the support you have provided during this placement for Mr. R, N and the Foster Carers. I have found you to be very professional and your communications with me have been timely throughout. I hope I have the pleasure of working with you and your agency again in the future." – J.D. Local Authority Social Worker

"Mr and Mrs H have shown a lot of skill, determination and care in their work with N. This is being borne out by the progress he is making." – R.M. Local Authority Social Worker

"To my knowledge, this is M's and G's first placement and I am happy to report that: 1. They both demonstrate excellent focused child care. 2. Both are empathic and very child focused. 3. Communication is excellent. 4. Working with other agencies M has shown a very professional approach whilst keeping her personal boundaries. The children are clearly happy with both M and G. They are settled and have responded well to the clear, firm and fair boundaries and routines." – M.H. Local Authority Social Worker

"I just wanted to note how delighted I am with T's placement with S. Since I have been the allocated Social Worker to T she has visibly blossomed and thrived. During T's placement with S she has become a happy, engaging, and confident child – quite different to the child I first met who wouldn't look at me, covered her face and would not engage in conversation. S has made unbelievable progress in addressing T's health difficulties and provides her with a warm, stable, loving and very happy home environment. This is such an excellent outcome for T." – J.C. Senior Social Work Practitioner

"I have been very impressed by T and K's commitment to the children and their abilities to work in partnership with the children's parents and other professionals. They appear to work extremely hard to ensure consistency for the children despite there being a lot of uncertainty at the moment about the children's future. They are very nurturing towards the children and since they have been placed with T and K it is evident to all professionals that the children's behaviour and presentation is significantly better. The children appear secure in their company and I know that the younger children's speech development has rapidly increased. The children look completely different from when they lived with their mother; they appear much more confident and happier.

“I feel T and K have done a fantastic job and provided these children with everything that they missed out on at home, which is clear from the huge improvements in their development. I have also witnessed T and K liaising closely with the children's parents when necessary and ensuring they are appropriately informed about the children's progress. They have even supported the children's mother to attend key appointments with them.

“I hope you can include this feedback in their household review and also when you see them. We definitely need more carers like T and K, they are a wonderful example of the importance of fostering and a credit to their profession." – S.M. Local Authority Social Worker

"I am T's court-appointed guardian. S (Foster Carer) was able to update me on all the progress which has been made by T in a very short space of time, most significantly the achievements made. As I understand it, T was about to undergo significant surgery. In my view, S advocated very appropriately on behalf of T, challenged the medical opinion of her proposed procedure and made suggestions to try, in order that surgery be the very last resort. S's commitment and advocacy on behalf of T have clearly resulted in very positive developments for T. One can only imagine the positive impact this will have had upon T's self esteem and emotional development, both in the immediate and the longer term. I appreciate it is only very early days in the placement; however, I feel it is very important to recognise an example of excellent childcare practice and corporate parenting." – F.S. Child's Guardian

"I would like to comment that I have been extremely impressed by J's care and commitment to T. It was very much touch and go at the beginning of the placement as T was in a very difficult place, both emotionally and in managing his behaviour. However, J immediately took control of the practical care of T and worked with professionals and T in order to help him feel safe and secure very quickly. J has been outstanding on T's health issues and I would like to say a very big thank you to her for this". – T.D. Local Authority Social Worker

"We have had fantastic support from the team at Outlook with placements. They are kind, supportive and always give their time and support wherever possible." – D.R. and S.F.

"I am really pleased to see D loved all these activities, rating most of them 10 out of 10. I am sure Outlook will continue with such wonderful programmes." – J.V. Local Authority Social Worker

"It became so clear to me how committed K is to J and P and how much she has gone above and beyond for them both. I think that K needs to be recognised for her hard work and dedication to this family. J is not always easy to manage and I think that K may feel as though she hasn't done enough to help J, which she obviously has!." – K.W. – Local Authority Social Worker

"E and B are excellent carers. They are very child-focussed and therapeutic in their approach. This is a very stable supportive placement." – P.M. – Local Authority Social Worker

"I am very pleased with the great care offered by S; she is a great Carer and will definitely make use of Outlook in the future." – M.L. Local Authority Social Worker

"Our most sincere thanks for all the care the Foster Carers have offered our Looked After Children, which has been exemplary." – J.H. Local Authority Team Manager

"Thanks for being a GREAT team guys!!! I will really miss working with you." – J.W. Local Authority Social Worker

"L is very child-focussed in her approach to L, P and P. P clearly has an attachment to L and L has a clear understanding of the children's individual needs. L gives the children praise and has a warm relationship with the children. I am very pleased with this placement in nurturing the children's needs." – A.O. Local Authority Social Worker

"I think you have absolute stars in the carers of J and L. They are fabulous Foster Carers and I could not ask for any better in relation to them looking after two of the children on my case load. They are always able to work well with myself and colleagues and they are an asset to your company." – L.B. Local Authority Social Worker

"At the meeting I advised your manager of the great help you have been in this particular case, explaining I had picked it up at extremely short notice and without your assistance I surely would have floundered (more than I did already that is). I thought it is important that your efforts should be properly acknowledged." – V H-J Local Authority Social Worker

"My client was S's first Parent and Child placement – she provided an excellent standard of care, was flexible, supportive and kept me informed of developments." – R.T. Local Authority Social Worker

"C and K have been working very hard to make this placement work for S. I am very happy that they have been able to offer their home, love and support to S." – S.K. Local Authority Social Worker