Benefits and Rewards
Support for Foster Carers
Amicus Foster Care believes that foster carers need to provide a ‘secure base’ for children in their care. To enable them to do this, the agency will provide a similar ‘secure base’ for foster carers and their families and will do this by:
- Amicus will pay our Foster Carers competitive professional fees and allowances, in recognition of the skilled and demanding work that they carry out.
- Twenty one night’s paid short breaks, pro-rata, per year, allowing the foster family the time to re-charge their batteries, whilst also allowing the child or young person to develop relationships within their community or with other short break carers..
- Amicus carers receive a Holiday bonus annually, paid in June or July.
- Individual household membership of the Fostering Network is provided by Amicus. This provides additional cover to carer’s own e.g., a 24 hour legal advisory service for individuals or families for any kind of advice which gives access to a legal expenses insurance scheme.
- Amicus will pay for your mileage to and from training, activities and support groups.
- Access to the Scraps Store in St Werburghs to support craft activities
- Amicus carers are consulted on an ongoing basis regarding the development of the service including finance, budgets and cost of living increase/bonus.
- Round the clock access to a local and known member of staff
- Supervision, support and regular telephone contact from a qualified and experienced Amicus social worker
- Monthly support group meetings. The ethos within Amicus is that carers and staff attend to provide and receive mutual support. Alongside this, Amicus run two further support groups – one for carer’s adult children even those living away from home and one for carer’s younger children. We believe it is important to support the whole family. There is also additional support for friends and other relatives
- All of Amicus activities, events, camping and celebrations are inclusive of carer’s extended family as well as the looked after young people.
- Amicus foster carers will have support and individual access to experienced, qualified therapists as we believe it is essential to support foster carers, their children and Amicus children and young people, using dyadic developmental psychotherapist working with PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy).
- Providing educational advice to support foster carers in working with schools and promoting children and young people’s educational needs.
- A comprehensive post-approval training and development programme including access to the TSD (Training, support and development standards)
- You will be provided with an online Amicus Foster Carer’s handbook that will help guide through your fostering career.
- CHARMS – Amicus online database system. You will be given access to a secure online database where you will be trained to record and access information.
- You will receive an Amicus photo ID card
Blue Light Cards
Blue Light is a scheme that recognises the hard work and commitment of people carrying out some of the most important jobs in the community. It’s open to frontline workers – emergency response, NHS, coastguard, as well as familiar organisations like St John Ambulance and the Red Cross, and we are pleased to know this now covers foster carers like you.
To apply, you will need a National Fostering Group ID card to evidence you are an active foster carer. With your card, use this link to go to the Blue Light website and click on ‘Register Now’. There’s a £4.99 admin fee, which will soon be recovered by your savings.
The Old School Hostel
Amicus Foster Care has exclusive use of The Old School Hostel for 2 weeks during the August holiday.
Hostel costs are covered by Amicus and many of our foster carers book with other fostering family, or their own and extended family. Well behaved furry canine friends are also welcome and have a wonderful time exploring the area.
To read more about this fabulous resource click here https://oldschoolhostel.com/
There are many attractions nearby, including:
Coasteering, Climbing, Cycle hire
Diving, Horse Riding, Kayaking
QuadBikes, Sailing
To mention but a few!
