Solo children with disabilities
Solo children with disabilities
Solo placement scheme for children with disabilities
The solo placement scheme for children with disabilities aims to reduce the use of residential care for young people with complex disabilities and needs. This type of placement is where the child or young person lives with foster carers and is the only child looked after in placement.
The foster carers on the scheme will be home based and expected to provide high levels of time and care to the young person placed. The carer(s) can have their own children aged 10 years and above.
You will need:
- significant experience of working directly with or caring for young people with disabilities
- to be open-minded and have the commitment to make a difference to a young person’s life
- patience, time and commitment to meet the individual needs of the child
- to provide stability and support, communicating with the young person to build a positive relationship to bring about long term change.
What are the young person’s needs?
The young person will be aged 0 -18 years and their home address will be within the Warwickshire area. The young person will have a significant disability (or combination of disabilities) which impacts on their ability to access mainstream services without additional support and results in enduring impairment to functional capacity and age expected development and ability.
Their disability could include:
- learning or physical disability
- sensory impairments
- complex health needs
- enduring and diagnosed mental health needs
- autism together with a learning disability
What support will I receive?
- Support will be provided from a team of professionals including children’s services, education and health. The scheme will have a dedicated fostering manager, social worker and social care worker
- You will have access to specialist training programmes and a dedicated support group.
- You will have access to 24-hour support when offices are closed via the foster care support line and emergency duty team.
- Once you have been approved as a carer you will be paid a weekly fee of £620.27.
- In addition, you will receive weekly fostering allowances to cover the costs of caring for the young person when they are placed. Many of our young people are also in receipt of disability living allowance (DLA) or personal independence payment (PIP) or be likely to be eligible for this.
- You will receive support to apply for a grant to adapt properties in order to meet the needs of the child.