The AFS believes that looking after children in foster care is a significant commitment, which demands particular skills of understanding, responsibility, creative thinking as well as patience from the foster carer. It is a demanding task as our foster carers take responsibility, on a day to day basis, for the children who are usually not related to them and whom they have not known before. A carer has to deal with a child's distress, worries and fear. For this reason we have put in place an intensive support scheme for our foster carers.

Foster carers joining AFS are expected to be resilient and to work hard in what can be difficult and challenging circumstances. We provide the following support to all our foster Carers:

• We consider Foster Carers to be our partners in Care.
• We provide you with 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year support.
• You will have a dedicated social worker to support and work with you.
• We provide comprehensive Training Programmes for foster carers.
• We will pay and support our carers to complete an NVQ Childcare course.
• Frequent and regular visits from AFS Social Worker.
• Two Weeks paid respite per year.
• Regular Foster Carers support group meetings
• Organised activities for children and young people.
• Weekly fostering allowances to value your skills and commitment.
• We also arrange Fostering Network Membership for all our foster carers.
• All foster carers are given a handbook that includes the following:
  • Information about the services provided by the agency.
  • Information about the Children's Act and the terminologies.
  • Information regarding care plan, review and various other meetings and their purposes.
  • Agency and the local Authority's expectations from foster carers in meeting the standards of care.
• All foster children are provided with a Children's Guide that explains the role of the agency, foster carers, and local authority and includes important telephone numbers. This Guide can be translated in a child's language if need.

AFS views these various forms of support as a positive way of ensuring that any placement our carers provide stand every chance of success. Children and young people that come to us for placement may have experienced difficult times, we, therefore, make all possible efforts to ensure that our carers are ready to face up to these challenges and fully equipped with necessary skills and experience to promote quality, equality and safety in care.