On-call care in the Börde district

On-call care is an essential part of the foster care system in the Börde district. It offers children and young people who find themselves in acute crisis situations a temporary, safe and secure home. As a short-term measure, standby care is an important bridge until a longer-term solution is found, be it a return to the family of origin, full-time care or other suitable care.

On-call care is a temporary, intensive form of care that is required in acute cases when children and young people urgently need to be removed from their current living situation. The duration of care usually varies between a few days and several weeks or months until a decision can be made about the child's future prospects.

During this time, the foster family offers

• Protection from further stress
• emotional stability
• a structured everyday life

On-call care is required for children and young people who:

• are at acute risk (e.g. due to neglect, abuse or domestic violence),
• can suddenly no longer remain in their family of origin (e.g. due to illness or excessive demands on the parents),
• temporarily need a safe environment until a long-term solution is found.

The age of the children ranges from infants to adolescents, whereby the needs and challenges can vary greatly depending on age and situation.

On-call foster families take on a responsible and often challenging task. They must be flexible, resilient and willing to adapt to a child at short notice. Important qualities and requirements are

• A high degree of empathy and sensitivity,
• the ability to support children in difficult situations,
• Flexibility and spontaneity, as children are often taken in at short notice,
• Willingness to cooperate with the youth welfare office and other specialist agencies,
• Openness to dealing with challenging behavior.

The willingness to deal with the sometimes difficult backgrounds of the children is also an important prerequisite.

If you are interested in becoming an on-call foster family, a structured application process awaits you:

1. Counseling interview: The first step is to find out about the requirements and general conditions without obligation.
2. Suitability test: Interviews and home visits are carried out to check whether you are suitable for on-call care.
3. Preparation: You will take part in special training courses to prepare you for your role.
4. Approval: Once you have successfully completed the process, you can start working as an on-call foster family.

On-call care is often the first step in freeing children from stressful and dangerous situations. It not only offers the children concerned protection and security, but also the chance to calm down in a loving environment and develop new perspectives. Your work as a standby foster family can make all the difference in a child's life.