A Parent and Child placement is a specific type of placement in foster care. This blog post will explain more about these specialist placements. If you have any further questions after reading, please feel free to get in touch.
What do parent & child placements involve?
Each parent and child (P&C) placement is an individual placement. It requires both an assessment and training role of the carer/s. The carer/s will assess the capacity of the parent/s to provide suitable and safe care for the child/ren. They will guide and show the parent/s how to care for their baby, how to ensure their health needs are met, how to stimulate the child so they grow and develop, and how to keep them safe, fed, warm, and clean. They also help the parent/s to socialise with other parents so they’re learning from others as well.
The carer/s are to be available for the parent/s so they can talk to them about any of their worries and concerns. P&C placements are an intensive piece of work as carer/s are changing a family’s way of working together and educating parents on how to keep their children safe. Carer/s are supporting the parent/s to change patterns of care. If the carer/s are worried or concerned about anything they hear or see, the agency would be at the end of the phone to support them. A P&C placement would have been agreed with the parent/s. It might involve a single parent, or two parents. It may include one child or if there are multiple children in the family, they will all be part of the P&C placement.
What makes them different?
P&C placements are a step away from caring for the child. Carer/s must work within the care plan and these placements can be very intense. Carer/s wouldn’t have a break for the duration of the placement and a lot of the time the children would sleep in the same room as the parent/s however there are times where in the beginning of the placement the children may be cared for by the carer/s overnight, in exceptional cases.
This would all be known prior to the placement beginning. Carer/s are remunerated at a higher rate for P&C placements. The carer/s must have a room that accommodates a family. P&C placements are often shorter pieces of work because they are directed from the court and are time-led. If you’re a foster carer or a prospective carer, and are looking for short breaks in between placements, this option may suit you.
What skills to they require?
It requires foster carer/s to have good recording skills and observation skills because the prime concern is to ensure the safety of the children in the placement. It is more of a supportive role that involves teaching and demonstrating.
Do you need to do any different training?
Before carer/s can do a P&C placement, they would complete a training course on P&C placements and be supported to understand the differences.
Do carers need experience of other placements, or can you start out as a P&C foster carer?
It depends on the carer/s availability because P&C is 24/7 support and requires the willingness to do the training. It’s not about experience it’s about availability and capacity. You can do these placements as a single carer or as partnership.
There are times when the carer/s can occasionally stay in touch with the families they support. This must be discussed and agreed at the end of the placement. It’s lovely for the carer/s to be able to watch the child develop and grow to reach their milestones.
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