Ensuring the best possible experience and outcome
Our aim at Orchard Fostering is to support our foster carers and the children in their care in order to ensure the best possible experience and outcome.
We offer a wide range of additional services to our foster carers including:
- Regular access to a dedicated social worker who will provide you with expert advice and guidance on fostering
- Availability of a 24/7 on call service where you can access a social worker and a manager out of hours if you have an immediate concern
- Regular locally-run support groups where you can meet other foster carers and our team to share experiences and ask advise
- Up to two weeks paid respite per year which allows you to take a break when we organise for your foster child to be placed with another foster carer on our respite panel
- Paid membership of IFCA (Irish Foster Care Association) which is the representative body for foster carers in Ireland
- The opportunity to attend training on all aspects of foster care and issues that foster children may experience. Training is held in locations that suits our carers
- Family activities which are held regularly during the year that allow foster families and children to meet and have some fun.
- Foster carer and birth children preparation training is provided prior to commencing fostering so that each individual or family is prepared and supported before beginning the fostering journey
- Birth children support groups are ran throughout the year as well as training for young people around relevant topics
- Play Therapist, Theraplay Practitioners, Circle of Security Parenting Facilitator, are among just some of the internal supports provided by Orchard Fostering.
- Orchard Fostering has a Foster Carer and a Young Person Ambassador Board to ensure that foster carers and young people have a voice in the running of our services
Additional needs
At Orchard Fostering we value the carers in our service and regularly consult with them on how we provide services to support them. Members of the Orchard Fostering management team meet with our Carer Representative Body every two months to ensure all views are taken into account.
We find that some children who are placed in foster care have additional needs and we provide supports to meet these needs including:
An extensive social care team who provide a range of services including:
- Direct one-to-one work with a child or young person to address specific behaviours
- Activities to develop social skills for children and young people
- Independent living skills to assist young people as they move on from care
- Supervision of visits to the child or young person with their birth family
- Direct one-to-one work with the foster family and their birth children to assist with the understanding of the needs of the foster child.
Access to therapy services:
- We offer tailored services to meet the child’s needs and offer access to a range of therapy services including play therapy
Educational Support:
- We facilitate a range of supports including additional tuition for children who may have fallen behind in their school work. We work to ensure that all of our foster children are engaged in the education system and achieve their full potential whilst in foster care
Talk to us and find out more
Call our team on 01-627 5713 or request a call back using the contact form on this page. We’re happy to answer all your questions about becoming a foster carer, so do get in touch to find out everything you need to know.
Download our brochure
Our brochure is available here for download, where you can learn more about Orchard Fostering
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