This year will mark 8 years since Ascent Fostering began and we thought it would be a good idea to reintroduce ourselves.
A lot has changed since 2013, our team has grown, the number of carers has increased, we’ve learnt a lot on the journey and have even adjusted to working through a pandemic. However, what has remained the same and has kept us going as a fostering agency, is our core values.
These core values are what makes Ascent Fostering Agency, the agency that it is today. We believe these values are what sets us apart from many other fostering agencies. These values have created a strong family dynamic and culture within the agency, where every team member, carer and young person are welcomed and heard.
So what are the Ascent values?:
- WE GO OVER AND ABOVE IN OUR PROVISION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
- Young people are listened to and actions are taken.
- We believe in and conduct a therapeutic philosophy.
- All young people are offered access to a wide range of after school and holiday activities.
- All young people are offered a 1:1 trained mentor.
- We encourage therapeutic assessment for all young people with therapeutic support offered, as appropriate.
- SUPPORTING OUR CARERS IS AT THE HEART OF THE ORGANISATION
- We communicate clearly with Carers, treating them as valued professionals.
- Our carers all access an extensive monthly training programme.
- Carers have a voice and their feedback shapes decisions.
- The organisation supports carers through promoting their wellbeing.
- We offer a strong financial support package to carers to allow them to focus on the children.
- OUR TEAM FEEL VALUED AND ARE DEVELOPING THEIR SKILLS
- We invest in the professional development of staff.
- Our team understands the vision of the business.
- Everyone has a voice in the organisation.
- We create a fun place to work.
- We respect people as mature individuals and encourage a work-life balance.
At the heart of Ascent Fostering is the determination to provide a therapeutic approach in all that we do. The agency works with children and young people who have a range of complex care needs. We stay committed to building a strong relationship with young people and accepting where they are at when coming to Ascent, we aim to see the world from their perspective which informs how we engage and go on their journey with them.
Our fostering model and structure is based on ‘Intentional Parenting’, believing that the onus is on adults to respond to the unmet needs of children positively. We understand that it is challenging to care for traumatised children, so the network needs to be trained, attuned and have the ability to see past the child’s presenting behaviours. We believe that carers and professionals need to act intentionally in their interactions with vulnerable children by providing nurture, affirmation, love, safety, structure and challenge in the hope to give them strategies to cope and move on positively with their lives.
If there is anything that we want to be known for, it’s for ensuring that everything we do is for the benefit of the children and young people who come into our care. Essentially, every team member we hire, each carer who comes on board and all our extended colleagues must have the benefit of the children and young people at the core of all that they do.
Yes, we are a fostering agency, but more importantly, we are a family where each person is highly valued and appreciated. Each person plays an integral role in making Ascent Fostering the agency that it is.
Would you like to learn more about Ascent Fostering Agency? Read our full ‘Statement of Purpose’ here. Or if you are thinking about becoming a foster carer, then click here to get in contact with one of our team.
Looking for a new challenge in your career, then joining the Ascent team may be the next career step. See our current career opportunities here.
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