What makes us different?

Mosaic Foster Care Solo Therapeutic Fostering

What we offer:

• All our placements are planned, consisting of referral meeting, matching meeting and a series of introductions. This ensures that carers and children are best informed and prepared and maximises the likelihood of a successful placement. We never consider emergency or short notice placements.
• Our Supervising Support Workers have protected caseloads, which are allocated within their locality to ensure that carers will have a high level and flexible access to social work support.
• All our carers are allocated a therapist for clinical supervision who will also undertake assessment and direct work with their foster child.
• Our support groups are facilitated by two members of the therapy team. This ensures that the focus remains on issues related to caring for children and how to respond to the challenges this can bring.
• All carers receive clinical supervision from the therapy team as well as social work supervision
• We have a number of dedicated respite only foster carers who are allocated to full-time carers, so that finding consistent respite is never an issue.
• All of our children are allocated a support worker when initially placed so that a positive relationship can be formed to help with any issues that may need addressing at a later stage.
• We offer weekly children’s clubs to help children and young people in care develop peer relations along with other life skills. We also offer a range of other activities throughout the year, which are generally linked to seasonal events.
• All our foster carers are provided with an ipad and have on-line access to their children's files.
• Our Out of Hours Service uses a multi-team approach consisting of an on-call social worker, manager, support worker and respite carer depending on what level of response is required.
• Our pay package is very competitive and well above the industry standard. This recognises the important role that foster carers play in caring for children placed with our agency.
• We offer a retainer fee for 4 weeks after a placement ends.
• A formal induction/training programme including:

Pre-approval induction

• Skills to Foster - including a session on our therapeutic model

Post approval induction

• Supervising Social Worker
• Safeguarding
• IT
• Agency (with other new foster carers)

Post approval training

• A comprehensive training programme, which covers the requirements of the National Minimum Standards and includes the 12 week Fostering Changes Programme. Therapeutic models delivered by the therapy team and other specialist courses as required.  All courses are delivered face to face at either our Head office or Colchester venue.  Online courses will be made available where needed.