Fostering in Dudley

Fostering Dudley

As a locally based agency we have good connections and relationships with Dudley Metropolitan Council. With that in mind if you are in the Dudley area, a really big benefit for you as an F5 Foster Carer is being so close to our headquarters in Birmingham– Our office has an open door policy so you are free to pop in whenever you like for a chat or to ask any questions, it’s also where we hold the majority of our training and support group meetings.

We are happy to share that we are an approved Foster Carer provider for Dudley  Metropolitan Borough Council (as well as for all local surrounding Local Authorities) which means that when children and young people from the Dudley area are in need of Foster homes, Dudley MBC Childrens Services will forward us a referral to see what suitable homes we have for that child. As such we work with them closely to ensure we recruit and train the most suitable and well matched Foster Carers possible.

How many children are in care in Dudley

According to the most recent published information from Dudley MBC , there were 621 children and young people from Dudley in the care, which very stable compared to the previous year (a reduction of just two).  Of the children accounted for, the vast majority Around 75% of these children are placed within fostering placements. Dudley MBC Childrens Services will always try to keep Dudley Children in Dudley (when it is safe an appropriate to do so), as this helps the child to continue with important aspects such as attending school and supervised family time etc, so when we are looking at matching children to potential foster homes, our Dudley based Carers will always be a first point of call. Additionally, other neighbouring local authorities such as Birmingham or Wolverhampton for example, will sometimes reach out to Dudley based foster carers if they have been unable to find a suitably matched Foster Carer within their own Local Authority.

Why are the children coming into care

The reasons that children and young people are entering care in Dudley is monitored by the Local Authority. You will see from the details below that overwhelmingly this is due to abuse and neglect. During your assessment and training to become a Foster Carer we will provide you training to understand what impact this may have had on the children that come into your care, their development, their understanding of boundaries or their ability to trust adults to keep them safe.

Reasons for Children entering Care at year end

About the children that come into care

Children come into care every day of all ages, however we do find that there are certain age groups that have higher numbers, for example; children and young people aged 5-17 years account for around 80% of children in care from Dudley, of which nearly half of these are in the 10-15 age group. Dudley MBC have advised that over the last three years they have experienced some noticeable changes in the profile of new children and young people entering care, specifically a reduction in children aged 1to 4 and a significant increase in 16 and 17 year olds.

When you hear us talking about matching, one of the areas that we will always try to match where possible is the ethnic profile of children and their Foster Carers. To give you an idea how this is reflected in Dudley please see the below information as reported by Childrens Services.  This is important information to know as in order to be able to match effectively, there needs to be a foster carer base that reflects the demographics of the city’s children and young people.

White children and young people make up 76% of the care population fostered population in Dudley, followed by Mixed Heritage children (17%), Black/Black British children (4%), Asian/Asian British children (2%) and children of other ethnic origins (1%).

Dudley MBC have also advised that 6.6% of children in care within the borough have a disability, this actually shows a reduction as in 2019 this figure was over 8%. Conversely however there has been a reported increase in Dudley of children in care with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), this is currently sitting at around 21%. This has been a steady and consistent rise (14% in 2019) which could actually also be a sign that much more support and diagnoses is being given to children who are needing additional help, so this is good news if you are looking after a child who needs support in this area.

White children and young people make up 76% of the care population fostered population in Dudley, followed by Mixed Heritage children (17%), Black/Black British children (4%), Asian/Asian British children (2%) and children of other ethnic origins (1%).

What Foster Carers are needed in Dudley

There is a real need at the moment to increase the number of foster homes across Dudley. We need to recruit committed carers across the board for children of all ages, however, there is a clear and evidenced need to recruit additional Carers that are able to offer homes to children aged 5-17 as around 80% of all fostered children in Dudley fall into this age group.

We are dedicated to keeping siblings together, where appropriate, and as such are in need of homes that are able to consider fostering more than one child.

There is also a real need to recruit Foster Carers who are able to offer homes to children and young people with significant mental health needs, complex medical needs and/or life limiting conditions as well an increasing demand for mother and baby placements. Additionally in Dudley there is a shortage of Foster Carers who can offer homes for children and young people who are victims of (or at risk from) various forms of exploitation who may be displaying harmful sexual behaviour.

Full Training and support is provided to our Carers to ensure that they are able to offer the types of placements they would like and are considered suitable for. Click here to find out more about what different types of foster care placements you could offer to children from in or around Dudley. Alternatively contact us using the form below.