Everything you need to know about Fostering Teenagers

There are many vulnerable teenagers in the foster care system here in the UK. They require love and guidance during an already challenging transitional period. Navigating feelings and emotions can be tough, which is what the support of foster parent can bring – providing teenagers with the skills and confidence they need for independent living.

Learn everything you need to know about fostering a teenager in our helpful guide.

Why foster a teenager?

There are many reasons why teenagers end up in foster care. With no support or guidance, teenagers may leave the foster care system without the tools and skills needed for adulthood. This could result in many difficult challenges, such as poverty, homelessness, and drug and alcohol abuse, among other things. But with the correct foster care placement, unconditional love and support, teenagers will be given the confidence and skills needed to flourish and build a brighter future for themselves.

Responsibilities of fostering a teenager

The primary responsibility of foster carers to teenagers is to provide a stable and supportive environment that allows them to reach their full potential in adulthood. This includes:

• Ensuring they get the most out of their education by making sure they attend school and participate in both mandatory and extra-curricular activities.
• Helping them to develop important life skills, encouraging them to feel confident, independent and empowered.
• Offer support and guidance as they navigate through the issues, feelings and emotions of being a teenager.
• Maintaining contact with their birth family if appropriate, to provide continuity in their life.

FAQs

Who can foster a teenager?

Here at Excel Fostering, we are proud to have foster parents from all walks of life. Whatever your culture, upbringing, religion, race, gender, age, ethnicity, disability, relationship status or sexual orientation, we encourage you become part of the Excel fostering family. It also does not matter if you rent or own your own house, or whether you have had no experience with childcare. As long as you meet the basic legal requirements and demonstrate a passion for changing the lives of children and young people in care, we would love to hear from you.

How long is a foster placement for a teenager?

The length of time a teenager will stay in your care depends entirely on their unique plans and whether they are staying with you under an emergency foster placement. For some teens that are 16 or older, a short-term fostering placement of up to 2 years will be more than likely. For teenagers that are placed within your care before they have reached the age of sixteen, they may be with you on a long-term fostering placement of 2 years or more.

In some cases, it may be that the teenager in your care may wish to stay with you for a number of years after their placement ends - known as

How much does fostering a teenager pay?

Fostering pay depends on your experience, location and the age of the child in your care. However, our standard placements work out to be around £1,700 a month or £20,400 a year. Generally, this is tax-free and includes up to 14 days respite payments. Here at Excel Fostering, we are proud to offer competitive fostering allowances which also includes gifting every carer with an annual £200 gift for ongoing carers at the re-approval stage among other benefits.

What training and support will I receive?

At Excel Fostering, we offer extensive training programmes to support our carers and ensure they’re equipped with the necessary tools to support the children in their care. As a foster parent, you’ll also have regular contact with a dedicated social worker, access to 24/7 support with our out of hours service, as well as local training including PACE and therapeutic foster care training.

If you’re interested in becoming a foster carer for a teenager, or you’re looking to learn more about the different types of foster care - get in touch with a member of our helpful team here at Excel Fostering today.