Fostering in Leicestershire

Foster a Child in Leicestershire

Acorn Fostering Services is committed to providing the best possible care for children and young people who are unable to live with their family of origin in Leicestershire. We offer safe, stable, and nurturing family placements to those in need, working closely with our foster carers to ensure that the needs of each child are met. Our team is dedicated to promoting the best interests of looked after children and young people, and we are always striving to maintain the highest standards of practice. If you are interested in learning more about our fostering agency in Leicestershire or becoming a foster carer, we would love to answer any of your questions.

Why Foster in Leicestershire?

Fostering in Leicestershire can make a huge difference in the lives of children and young people who are unable to live with their birth families. By becoming a foster carer with Acorn Fostering Services in Leicestershire, you will have the opportunity to provide a safe, loving, and stable home to a child or young person in need. As a foster carer, you can positively impact a child’s life and help them achieve their potential. By fostering in Leicestershire, you can join a community of foster carers committed to providing children and young people the highest quality of care.

How to Become a Foster Carer in Leicestershire

The first step to becoming a foster carer in Leicestershire is to make an initial request by contacting their recruitment team. After a successful telephone interview, a social worker will arrange a visit to conduct a preliminary assessment. If the recommendation is positive, you will be required to attend a two day mandatory skills to foster training / assessment, before making an application. Once your application is accepted a comprehensive assessment called the Form F Assessment will be carried out, which includes statutory checks such as DBS, previous local authorities, and OFSTED. On average, the complete assessment and approval process typically takes 4-6 months. During the assessment process, prospective foster parents compile a portfolio of written material providing examples of their relevant experience and skills. Acorn Fostering Services complies with the Children Act 1989 and the Fostering Services Regulations 2011. Their foster carers are subject to an annual review to ensure they continue to meet the necessary requirements.

What Foster Training Is Available?

Acorn Fostering Services offers a comprehensive training program for prospective and current foster carers. Before submitting an application, prospective carers are required to attend the mandatory two-day training called Skills to Foster, which senior recruitment officers and current foster carers facilitate. This training is designed to give potential foster carers a realistic idea of what fostering entails. Post-approval, foster carers attend regular support groups, which may be either virtual or face-to-face. Additionally, they receive a mix of e-learning, face-to-face, and virtual training, with a personal development plan outlining their training needs. Foster carers have access to a calendar of training events, allowing them to plan their training around other fostering tasks and commitments. The agency also provides 24/7 support to foster carers through duty social workers and managers, with feedback indicating that foster carers are confident in the agency’s support system.

Areas in Leicestershire we Serve

Acorn Fostering Services provides foster care services to children and young people throughout the UK. The following is a list of areas that Acorn Fostering Services serves in Leicestershire:

  • Leicester City
  • North West Leicestershire
  • Hinckley & Bosworth
  • Blaby
  • Charnwood
  • Harborough
  • Melton
  • Rutland

Contact Acorn Fostering Services to Join Our Program

Fostering is an essential and rewarding service that significantly impacts the lives of vulnerable children and young people. At Acorn Fostering Services in Leicestershire, we are committed to providing the highest standards of care and support to our foster carers and the children they look after. We believe every child deserves a stable and caring home, and we work hard to ensure that our carers are equipped with the skills, knowledge, and resources to provide just that. If you are interested in becoming a foster carer in Leicestershire, contact us so we can work together to make a positive difference in a child’s life.

We also provide Foster Care in many other counties:

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Our Teachers

Our Qualified Teacher

Shadab Ahmad

Director and ADM

Director Shadab is a qualified social worker with over 32 years post qualifying experience. He has an MA in social work and has worked in Local Authorities and the NSPCC as a manager before setting up Acorn Fostering Services in 2004. His main area of interest is protecting vulnerable children and providing them with new opportunities. He has experience of working with children in need, looked after children and child protection cases.

Anupam Srivastava

Director

Director Anupam is a qualified social worker with over 34 years of post-qualification experience in social work. He has an MA in social work and worked with both statutory and voluntary sector. Prior to setting up Acorn Fostering Services in 2004, he was a neighbourhood Coordinator with Leicester City Council’s Neighbourhood Renewal Programme. Anupam has vast experience of working with children and families.

Kshama Srivastava

Director

Director Kshama has a background in Human Resources Management. Up until June 2014 she was working as a Human Resources professional in the NHS. In 2014, Kshama decided to leave her employment with the NHS to play an active role in Acorn Fostering Services. In her capacity as a Director, Kshama has assumed a lead responsibility for consultation with Staff, Foster carers and other stakeholders, Policy Review, and development along with bringing a vast and valuable contribution in the form of her knowledge and skills and abilities in the field of HR Management.

Lionel Boyce

Registered Manager

Lionel has 43 years’ experience of working in the social care field, ranging from his early work with people with severe mental and physical disabilities and working and managing in older person’s homes, working with children and families in a child care team. Over the last 25 years, Lionel has worked with children, in a child care operations team in various local authorities. Lionel moved to fostering in 1993 initially as a social worker and then as a team manager and service manager with local authorities and independent fostering agencies.

Julie Bailey

Deputy Manager

Julie has 13 years’ experience as a qualified Social Worker with Acorn Fostering Services. Julie started her social work career with Acorn in 2009, firstly as a Supervising Social Worker, then as Acorn’s Recruitment Officer. In October 2015 Julie moved to the post of Placement Manager where she has been able to use her knowledge of our fostering households to inform the risk and assessment process when matching placements. In October 2016 Julie was promoted to Deputy Manager where she has the responsibility of overseeing the Recruitment Team as well as continuing with the Placement Manager.

Our Staff

The rest of Acorn’s team have between them a wealth of experience gained from a variety of different settings all of which contributes to a well-informed, supportive, and stable team. We are a medium sized team with a friendly, professional approach to our work; made up of people from different backgrounds, experiences, cultures, and religions. We value our staff and are committed to helping them explore their interests through training and personal development.