Long-term foster family for teens

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Would you be ready to help youths in need by offering them a long-term home, a balanced living environment and supporting their growth and development? As a foster family you would do truly important work and have a holistic impact on a child's life. Currently we need foster families who can take in teenagers and meet their demanding needs. A foster family is a family that provides a home for a child who cannot live in their own home. The foster family cares for the child's daily life, upbringing and well-being. The foster family receives an allowance and travel reimbursement every month as long as the placed child lives with the family. Monthly income depends on the number of placed children (per the table below). The income accrues pension rights. Training is required before you can act as a foster family. We are seeking suitable families for this individually tailored training, which can start according to agreement, possibly immediately. Some training sessions are family-specific and some are conducted in a group with other families (remote). The training is a process lasting on average 5–7 months. The foster parent role requires: age around 25–60 years; a stable finances and life situation; caring for traumatized children with special needs is demanding and if your life situation is not in balance, it may affect your resources and ability to act as a foster family. No mental health, substance abuse or criminal background. Suitable living arrangements; a room for a teenager. We value the following things, though not all may be met: no own pre-school children; two-parent family; ability to help two or more children (e.g., siblings); experience with special needs such as neuropsychiatric disorders, trauma work, learning difficulties; experience with forming secure attachments; experience in upbringing; experience with child welfare; other similar experiences are welcome. Professional educations in social and health care and upbringing studies support this work; however there is no formal education requirement. Previous work experience could include: group home worker, family worker, social worker, teacher (special education or early childhood), nurse, public health nurse, psychologist/psychotherapist/occupational therapist, youth worker, social educator; or similar. The job benefits from viewing potential challenging behaviour in context and understanding the impact of past life experiences on a child's development. Flexibility and willingness to understand and engage with the child’s birth family and relatives, which can be challenging as placement often evokes strong emotions in parents. The work also involves cooperation with social services and other authorities. The placed child needs a safe home, a lot of adult attention, routines and affection. Over time the child becomes an important and equal family member. A foster family's everyday life mirrors ordinary family life, including everyday life and celebrations, tears and laughter. The other parent must stay at home to care for the placed child(ren) for at least a year to enable bonding and settling in. We have a professional support worker who meets regularly to go through updates and delve into the child’s matters more deeply, taking the child’s individual situation into account. Our support work is regular and conducted by phone and home visits. In addition to support work we offer supervision and further training opportunities for foster families. Suomen Perhekodit Oy is a young Finnish company. We train and support foster families in everyday situations, for the duration of the child’s stay. We take care of bureaucracy so you can focus on the child without stress. We are approachable, people-oriented and genuinely focused on the child’s wellbeing. On our website you will find comprehensive information about fostering as a foster family. Contact us to discuss together whether your family would be suitable as a foster family!