Fostering a child with a disability calls fro some unique skills. Patience, understanding and vigilance are very important. Becoming a foster carer for a disabled child or young person can seem particularly challenging. Specialist training and support is available around the clock - with plenty of advice and guidance when required.
Helping a disabled child to reach their full potential can be rewarding in a very unique way. The need is growing for more foster carers able to provide specialist care for disabled children.
General background
There is a tremendous need to find new foster families, so it will be obvious that finding foster carers to look after children with disabilities is a daunting challenge. Education and overcoming pre-conceptions is essential. Perhaps the first step is to think about what we all associate with the word disability: just thinking about the term will bring a whole set of associations to mind. For all disabled people – including children and young people – it is being labelled ‘disabled’ that creates barriers. The label itself triggers images and emotions within us that shape our responses – and that is before we might have even met someone with a disability..wheelchairs can all to easily spring to mind, but of course there are a wide range of different kinds of disability from moderate to severe. It may seem trite,


Education
A local authority has by law to carry out all its duties with regard to children and young people in its area with Special Educational Needs (SEN) or disabilities. This is under Part 3 of the “Children and Families Act 2014” with the view of helping them “achieve the best possible educational and other outcomes” This means there will be support available to assist children with SEN and/or disabilities to have support and get as much as possible from the education system
Support
We ensure that foster carers will be given short respite breaks giving them a rest from the daily routines. This can be while the child is looked after by another specialist carer, or they may have a break with the child in their care whilst at a special residential unit for disabled children. At Rainbow Fostering we work hard to direct our carers to the various support groups and service providers that can assist. As an example: if your water is metered and the child or young person being looked after results in the need to do a lot of laundry, we can help you to apply to your water company to limit the cost of your water.
This comes under the WaterSure scheme and Ofwat has the contact details for water suppliers. The Family Fund is also able to give grants to low-income families for a washing machine or tumble drier.

Support groups, information and useful resources
There are a number of specific charities, including MENCAP, which provide information and support. There are also a growing number of online communities offering advice and information. The BBC’s disability website Ouch! provides the chance to share experiences and and exchange knowledge with other parents. The charity Whizz-Kidz often provides children under 18 with mobility equipment not available from the National Health service. They also offer wheelchair skills training. Groups: Action for Children,Go Kids Go! give free wheelchair skills courses.Sky Badger This is a charity dedicated to finding help and adventure for disabled children and their families. Help if you have a disabled child - GOV.UK Rainbow have wide experience in supporting disabled children and young people with complex needs. we ensure that our
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