Parent and child fostering - Mother and baby Fostering
Parent and child fostering involves the placement of a parent (mother or father) who is experiencing difficulties. The parent and their baby or young child are placed together in foster care.
The foster carer:
- foster carers do not necessarily provide parental care (except if required) but helps and encourages the parent to develop their skills.
- foster carer has an important role observing and recording how the parent looks after the child.
Parent and child or more likely, mother and baby fostering can be complex and challenging and the foster carer requires skills and qualities such as:
- assertiveness
- discretion
- confidence
- sensitivity
- 24-hour commitment
This kind of fostering placement is often an alternative to a mother and baby unit and usually results from a court referral, but not always. A baby's social worker may make the decision for a parent and child fostering placement, if the parent isn't coping well and needs extra help but doesn't have an extended family. The parent might not necessarily be a young person.
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