Specialist Foster Care
Marlowe Child & Family Services have come together in partnership with Pathway Care to develop ‘Safe Steps’. ‘Safe Steps’ is a transitional programme aimed at children and young people who have experienced foster placement disruption and who require intensive preparation and on-going support to successfully integrate into a family environment.
‘Safe Steps’ utilises the complimentary expertise and experience of Marlowe Child & Family Services and Pathway Care to provide each child or young person placement, for 12 - 18 months, which should lead to a stable family placement and a significantly decreased of breakdown.
The programme begins with an initial period of specialised and dedicated residential care (at ‘The Lawns’ or ‘Upper House’) to stabilise the child or young person and begin to address the underlying difficulties that have resulted in placement disruption in the past. During this 3 - 6 month period a detailed assessment takes place (including psychology input). This process informs careful matching with foster carers who can offer an actively supported solo placement. Foster carers are then introduced to the child or young person. These foster carers begin to work along residential staff, jointly developing strategies for best meeting the child or young person's needs. Further, a process of gradual integration into the foster placement begins.
After the child or young person moves into the foster placement, the residential staff continue their relationship with them, actively providing support to the foster carers based on a jointly agreed approach. Gradually the level of support from residential staff is withdrawn, leaving the primacy of care with foster carers. However, social work input continues, along with expert therapeutic consultation provided to foster carers. Towards the end of the programme a series of options are offered in terms of planning for the future of the child or young person. Options include the Pathway Care solo placement continuing, an alternative Pathway Care foster placement being found, the child or young person moving to a Local Authority foster placement or to a family or an extended family placement.
In addition to offering the potential of extremely positive outcomes, over the whole period, the cost of the ‘Safe Steps’, in comparison to an average residential placement cost of £4,000 per week, there is a saving to the Placing Local Authority of over £70,000 per year.
