Starz Fostering Mission Statement
The Starz Fostering mission is to create a sense of ‘family’ in the development of our services, ensuring children and young people remain at the core of our provision. The Starz ‘family’ will also encourage the children and young people to believe in themselves and ensure they have support available to help them achieve the best possible outcomes for their futures.
Starz Fostering Vision
· To provide safe, high-quality trauma informed and therapeutically underpinned foster care placements for children and young people who are looked after.
· To provide an environment which enables children and young people to reach their full potential and achieve positive outcomes.
· For our Foster Carers and staff to remain passionate about providing the best possible service.
· To support children and young people fully into their most appropriate future setting, which could be returning to family, moving to independent living or being offered continued support through ‘staying put’ with their former Foster Carers.
· For young people who were permanently placed with their Starz Foster Carers to be supported by the Starz leaving care programme up to the age of 27 years old.
How We Achieve Our Vision
Recruit, Train and Supervise Excellent Foster Carers.
We offer excellent training, guidance and support to those interested in applying to becoming Foster Carers and to our approved Foster Carers.
For our approved Foster Carers this includes regular supervision. We aim for supervision to be held once per month with a qualified Social Worker, bi-monthly clinical group supervision with Verbatim Therapy and Consultancy Service, training, events for the children and/or family activities and regular consultation on the service we provide. We also provide a very competitive fee.
Trauma Informed Service With Therapeutically Underpinned Care
We believe that by giving our Foster Carers quality, accessible and knowledgeable support and supervision they will be better equipped to care for and meet the needs of the children and young people placed in their care.
We provide additional training on the impact of trauma on children due to Adverse Childhood Experiences also known as ACE's from the outset, to help our Foster Carers and team to provide therapeutic foster care placements for the children and young people referred to our service.
More About Starz Fostering
Activities For Our Children and Young People.
Our team organises several activities throughout the year for all the children and young people linked to Starz; this could include, graffiti workshops, pantomimes, attending local events or arts and crafts workshops.
We also hold competitions and consultations for the children and young people.
Have a look at our 'Past Events' page for some examples.
Support For Children And Young People Who Are Members Of A Family Who Fosters
We realise how hard it can be for birth children to share their family with a new child. During home visits the Supervising Social Worker will aim to speak to each child and young person living in the home at least once every three months on their own with visits planned at times, they will be home.
We are currently working on a project with children whose family fosters to develop a ‘Welcome Leaflet’ detailing who members of the team are and how to contact us if they have any worries or concerns specifically tailored for the birth children of approved Foster Carers.
Life Skills And Preparing For Independence
Everyone at Starz is dedicated to providing the children and young people placed with the agency the skills and knowledge for their future independence. An experience Starz Foster Carer is working with the team to develop a Starz Preparation for Independence workbook to support children and young people with life skills/who are preparing for independence. The workbook will cover a wide range of subjects including health, relationships, budgeting and life skills.
Starz also provides advice and guidance for Foster Carers who are considering caring for a young person in their care after their 18th birthday which is known as ‘Staying Put’.
Post 18 Support
All our young people who have been permanently placed with Starz Foster Carers can turn to us for practical help and in some circumstances financial assistance up to the age of 27.
Life Story Work
Often children and young people who are ‘looked after’ will complete life story work with their Social Worker or a Professional Assistant from the social care team.
Our Foster Carers are supported by the team to keep a ‘Treasured Memories’ box for the children and young people in their care including mementos from days out and photos.
Where agreed support can be provided by a member of our team or from an Independent Social Worker to support a child/young person to complete work on their life story.
Consultation & Participation
We value feedback from everyone who uses our service. Every child, young person, Prospective Foster Carer, and those who commission our service will be listened to, and their views actively inform our practice and the development of our service.
We also seek the views of the social care team, the families of the children who are looked after (where possible), panel members and other service providers through consultation opportunities.
