Intensive Support Fostering

Intensive Support Fostering


Extern in partnership with the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust in NI successfully tendered for the provision of a pilot Intensive Support Foster Service within the greater Belfast area.

The overall aim is to secure 12 Intensive Support fostering places, which are for older children with very complex needs, who are either at substantial risk of requiring Secure Accommodation or are residing in Intensive Support Units or Secure Accommodation and require a placement to allow them to move on.

Referral criteria:

Children and young people aged between 12 - 18 year old with complex needs and exhibiting two or more of the following behaviours:

  • Non -school attendance.
  • Absconding from family or care home.
  • Self harming including attempted suicide.
  • Difficulty coping with living in a group situation.
  • Consistent verbal abuse.
  • Alcohol and / or substance misuse.
  • Physical violence ( damage to property not people)
  • Sexually harmful or exploitive behaviour.
  • Persistent and / or serious offending behaviour.
  • The young person falls within Hardiker level 4.

Objectives:

  • To provide home-based placements (foster care) for 12 children and young people with complex and high support needs
  • To recruit, assess and train specialised foster carers
  • To provide a service that delivers a coordinated, individualised plan of intervention based on the assessed needs of the child or young person in placement.

Programme content:

  • This service offers individually tailored wraparound services to the young people, high levels of support to the foster carers and, where appropriate, family support and therapeutic input for biological families.
  • Extern provides wraparound workers who deliver direct support services to the young people, and a family therapist who offers therapeutic services to the biological families.
  • The SE Trust offers support to the foster carers and also provides access to the services of a psychologist.
  • Educational support is also offered through the SE Trust directly to the young people who are being fostered.

Working Hours:

This is a 24/7 service

Staffing Ratio: 1:2 in year one, 1:4 in year two and 1:6 maximum in year three