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Coleraine/Ballymoney Family Placement Team - Northern Trust Northern Trust Logo

Contact Information

Address
Route House , 8E Coleraine Road , Ballymoney , Co Antrim, BT53 6BP
Contact Person
Telephone Number
028 2766 1521 ext 3621
Email Address
Email
Web Address
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Additional Information

The Northern Trust is an Adoption Agency and as such has a statutory to provide a comprehensive adoption service to meet the needs of children who have been adopted, parents of such children and persons who have adopted a child or wish to adopt a child. Adoption is the legal process by which a child or children become full time, permanent and legal members of a new family. Following the granting of an Adoption Order, this new family has full parental rights and responsibilities for the adopted child. The process of adoption involves extensive preparation and assessment by specially trained social workers, matching and placing of children as recommended by the Adoption Panel and final decision made by the Adoption Decision Maker. Below are further details about the different teams involved in the Adoption Process. Family Placement Teams There are four family placement teams within the Northern Trust area. The Family Placement Team provides an extensive service to families who are considering becoming adoptive parents, birth parents and adults who have been adopted, including: Preparation Training for all persons who are considering adoption Undertaking assessments and providing completed comprehensive reports of prospective adoptive parents to the Adoption Panel for approval Ongoing training and support for adoptive parents Preparation and placement of children within their new adoptive family Support and guidance to individuals who have previously been adopted and wish to trace their birth relatives Counselling to birth parents who are considering placing their child for adoption Working closely with relevant teams and agencies to provide best support to adoptive and birth families Foster Care The Foster Care Service undertakes the assessment, recruitment, training and support of foster carers. The majority of children looked after by the Trust, are in foster care. Fostering work within the Trust involves: Recruitment of foster carers through ongoing advertising, radio interviews and articles for media and various projects and events throughout the year to raise awareness of the need for foster carers. Provision of information packs on fostering, information evenings on fostering and ‘Skills to Foster Course’ (preparation for fostering). Home study assessment of applicants. This is then presented to the Foster Care Panel for approval. Social Workers within the team also help to develop the skills of foster carers by providing support in their link social worker role and annually reviewing all foster carers and respite carers with a view to reconfirmation of approval. Supporting local Foster Care Groups and a Development and Training programme for foster carers. Family Placement Teams There are four Family Placements Teams located throughout the Trust who carry out home-study assessments of prospective foster carers through the assessment process and provide ongoing support. They also carry out adoption reports and assessment of kinship carers. They provide ongoing link work support as supervising social workers to foster carers undertake local recruitment initiatives, support prospective foster carers through the assessment process and provide ongoing support to our current foster carers. Contact Details Ballymoney Family Placement Team Route House Route Complex Ballymoney BT53 6BP 02827661521 ext 3621 Ballymena Family Placement Team Slemish CSC Cushendall Road Ballymena BT43 6HA 028 2563 5640 Magherafelt Family Placement Team Children’s Services Sperrin House 43 Queens Avenue Magherafelt BT45 6BY Tel: 028 7936 6840 Carrickfergus Family Placement Team Ellis Street Family Resource Centre Carrickfergus BT38 8AZ Tel: 028 9331 5111 The Specialist Fostering Team The Trust’s Specialist Fostering Team deals with recruitment of foster carers and processes fostering enquiries from the general public with interest in foster care. The Team provides information and advice and deals with the initial stages of assessment of prospective foster carers as well as raising the profile of fostering in the Northern Trust. The team also provide specialist placements for children within the care system and support and link work to all of the Trusts fee paid and specialist foster carers. In addition, the Foster Carer Training Coordinator is also established within the team and delivers and coordinates training throughout the year through the Trusts Training & Development Program. Contact details Specialist Fostering Team Tel: 0300 123 1155 email: foster4.nt@northerntrust.hscni.net
Available to Age Groups
0-16 yrs
Category of Services
  • Adoption Fostering & Looked After Children
Areas covered
  • Ballymoney
  • Coleraine
Method of Access (Referral)
  • Social Worker



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