Care to Share enables families to join together to share the care of a child with a disability, giving the child new friends and their family a break from caring.
Carers can look after the child for anything from a few hours to overnight. This gives the parents a break away from what can at times be difficult and hard work and allows them time to have a break from caring, spend time with a partner or other children etc.
It also gives the child the opportunity to experience different and new surroundings, meet new people and expand their horizons.
Care to Share provides short-term placements for children with a variety of physical, learning, disability or sensory problems and is available for children and young people up to the age of 18.
Care to Share children have not been accommodated by Doncaster Council, but come from loving family homes. Parents often request Care to Share because they prefer their children to be cared for in a family environment.
Many of these children lead isolated lives because of their disability, and therefore the relationship with you, their carer can be very special to them.
The carer welcomes the child into their home and will often become a second family to that child.
They work with the child's parents, the child, Doncaster Council and any other professionals to provide a caring home where the child feels comfortable.
They will build up a close relationship with the child's family who will bring the child on each visit and collect them to take them home.
Become part of an ongoing relationship, watching the child grow up and develop and knowing that you have helped them.
They receive specialist disability awareness training in addition to basic fostering training.
Any specialist instruction needed to care for the child.
Allowances are paid which reflect the level of the child's disability.
Satisfaction that you are making a real difference to both a child and his/her family.
