Specialist Therapeutic Foster Carer – Learning Support Assistant
Ready for a Change? Use Your Skills to Transform a Child’s Life
Specialist Therapeutic Foster Carer – Bedford and Surrounding Areas
Location: Bedford and surrounding areas
Salary: £62,000 per year (plus additional allowances)
Employment Type: Full-time | Self-employed
Is it Time to Use Your Learning Support Assistant Skills Differently?
Every child deserves to feel safe, valued, and part of a family. Right now, young people in Bedford Borough are living in residential care and need someone who can help them take the next step into a stable home where they can heal and thrive.
If you have experience as a Learning Support Assistant, supporting children in classrooms, helping with additional needs, or providing pastoral care, you already have skills that could change a child’s future. This role is not about providing a bed. It is about offering consistency, guidance, and the belief that life can get better.
As a Specialist Therapeutic Foster Carer, you will welcome a young person into your home and provide full-time care, supported every step of the way by a dedicated local team.
Why Choose Specialist Therapeutic Fostering?
This specialist route is for people who want to make a profound difference. You will work as part of a trauma-informed team, helping children transition out of residential care into a safe family environment where they can build trust, independence, and resilience.
This role offers you the chance to transform a child’s life while experiencing something life-changing yourself.
What You Will Receive as a Specialist Therapeutic Foster Carer
* £62,000 per year plus £1,000 additional allowances for holidays and birthdays
* Up to 28 days respite each year
* Specialist trauma-informed training and ongoing professional development
* Clinical supervision and 24/7 out-of-hours support
* Peer support networks, including access to the Mockingbird Constellation model
* Membership of The Fostering Network
* Be part of a local fostering team that knows and values its carers
Could This Be You?
We are looking for individuals or couples who:
* Live in Bedford or the surrounding area
* Can offer a dedicated bedroom for fostering a young person
* Have experience supporting children with emotional, behavioural, or developmental needs, particularly through classroom support or one-to-one learning assistance
* Are resilient, nurturing, and open to learning
* Can provide full-time care (at least one person at home if applying as a couple)
* Ideally, you will have no children under 12 living at home. Exceptions may apply depending on the child’s needs.
Please note – fostering requires you to register as self-employed. You will be responsible for managing your own tax affairs and maintaining the necessary records related to the role.
Is it Time for a Change?
This is your opportunity to use your Learning Support Assistant skills in a way that truly matters. You will make a difference to a child, to your community, and to yourself.
Apply now to speak with our team and take the first step toward becoming a Specialist Therapeutic Foster Carer for Bedford Borough.
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