Mother and Baby Foster Placements

Also known as parent and child fostering, fostering young mothers and babies is a common type of foster care. As a carer for a mother and baby, you’d be able to help keep a family together and support both the parent and child’s development through a difficult time. The demand for parent and child foster carers is always high as this is a specialist type of fostering, which can be particularly appealing for those who want to foster a baby while supporting the infant’s mother simultaneously.

What is mother and baby fostering?

Mother and baby fostering refers to a fostering placement where the mother or father, or in some cases, both parents, are placed into foster care alongside their baby, child or children. This sort of foster care tends to occur when a young mother or parent finds themselves in a difficult situation where they are unable to care for herself and her child effectively. In many cases, the mother is still young herself – and potentially still in the foster care system – meaning she may not have support elsewhere.

In other cases, the mother or parent is older, but may not be ready for the responsibility. They may be in a position where they don’t have a lot of family support and guidance around them. Parent and child fostering gives mothers in these situations the opportunity to stay with their child while the care system and foster family can provide support.  

Benefits of parent and child fostering

There are a number of benefits of being a parent and child foster carer: a lot of carers find a sense of purpose in giving young parents the ability to prepare for parenthood and keep their family together, whilst also being able to care for an infant. Fostering babies is a popular fostering choice for carers. Generally, babies will have not been able to develop many developmental, social or emotional problems that are often common in older foster children subjected to trauma, abuse or neglect. However, as fostering babies can be quite an uncommon fostering placement, mother and baby fostering gives you the ability to care for an infant.

Another benefit many of our foster carers’ highlight is the satisfaction that comes with helping young parents get their life back on track. When fostering young mothers and babies, you can successfully teach the parent how to financially care for their child, the material and emotional needs that their baby will require, and pass on helpful parenting tips and tricks to prepare them for returning to normality with their baby. Becoming a foster carer for both mother and child can be hugely gratifying – not only are you improving the life of a child, but you are paving the way for a better future for their parents as well.

Mother and baby fostering allowance

Both mother and foster carer are given an allowance. Regarding the financial responsibilities that come with babies, an allowance may be given to the parent to care for her child independently. This mother and baby fostering allowance aids the parents in care to learn the basics of being able to handle money effectively, providing them with a taste of independence and assessing how well they take care of the finances. Foster carers also get an fostering allowance while caring for mother and baby. Mother and baby foster carers with Excel receive approx. £650 per week. Learn more about how much foster parents get paid today.

If you’re interested in mother and baby foster placements, or want to find out more information about the parent and child fostering allowance, get in touch with a member of our helpful team today at Excel Fostering.