We are recruiting OTFC (Oxfordshire treatment foster care) foster carers to work with very vulnerable children. We provide training, lots of support and payments of over £700 per week dependant on the age of the children you care for.  If you are interested, then contact us.

What is Oxfordshire treatment foster care (OTFC)?

OTFC is a specialist foster care treatment programme for children aged 3 to 11, who have the most complex emotional, behavioural and educational needs.  The child will be the only foster child in the family except if siblings are placed together.

These children would be more likely to remain in care throughout their childhood with a high risk of placement breakdown. They may be experiencing difficulties at school and in the wider community.  They need highly structured and nurturing families in which to develop, learn and improve their life chances.

Enhanced OTFC fostering

Exciting Opportunity for Foster Carers with the experience of young people aged 12-16yrs 

Join the OTFC team and help us to extend our provision to offer specialist placements to enable adolescents currently living in a residential provision to live in a family home. We would anticipate the placements to continue until the young person is able to move into the leaving care pathway.

We are looking for carers who have experience in fostering adolescents, knowledge of attachment theory and developmental trauma, and who can build relationships with young people that support their development and acknowledge and balance risk-taking. We need you to be flexible and available during the daytime to attend meetings and support a young person accessing education. 

We need foster carers who are motivated to build strong relationships with adolescents, who are resilient and prepared to go the extra mile when teens take risks and present challenges and who are passionate about meeting the needs of vulnerable young people. 

Our offer 

• A level 4 skills fee of £700 per week plus the maintenance allowance and two weeks paid holiday.
• Training in therapeutic approaches to parenting adolescents, including how to support managing risky behaviour and de-escalation strategies.  
• A weekly supervision group for carers 
• Daily support from the OTFC team when needed 
• Support with the education provision 
• Direct work with the young person
• Consultation with a clinical psychologist
• Access to out of hours 24/7 senior manager on call.   

How long?

The treatment usually lasts for around 9 to 12 months.   Highly-trained foster carers are supported by a clinical team to ensure that at the end of this period, the child is ready to move on to long-term foster carers or back to their birth parents.  

Fees and allowances

A weekly fee of £365 plus allowances is paid for children up to the age of 11.

A weekly fee of £700 plus allowances is paid for children 12 to 16. 

Things to consider

• Do you enjoy being part of a team? OTFC uses a team approach to treatment, with the foster carers trained in behavioural techniques and working closely with a multi-agency team.
• Do you enjoy learning new things? Foster carers implement an individualised behaviour programme for each child under the guidance of the programme supervisor.
• What about support? Foster carers receive an enhanced level of support from programme staff.  Out of hours support is available 7 days a week.
• Can you attend regular meetings? Foster carers are required to meet weekly as a group to discuss the child’s progress with the interventions. This is a great way to get support and learn from each other.
• Are you available at home full time?  We prefer one foster carer to commit to the programme full time.
• Do you have your own child/children? There needs to be a reasonable age gap between the foster carers’ own children and the OTFC child.

What some of our OTFC carers say

Being an OTFC foster carer is a demanding but immensely rewarding job, our carers told us:

"It's great to know you're not in it alone."

"Charlie was only with us for 12 months and it was truly amazing to see what was achieved in such a short time."

“We feel so involved and supported by the team and have enjoyed seeing such a positive change in children before they move on.”

How to apply

If you are interested in applying for the OTFC programme please contact us to start the process.