Living on a boat and fostering

[Dignity]

Hi all, I have a friend who fosters and is considering living on a boat. Has anyone ever managed this, feel free to PM if needed, thanks

[RichM]

Not something I have any experience with but do you know if they plan to continually cruise or have a home mooring? I would not be surprised if this has some influence.

[valrene9600]

The whole thing will be up to the authorities who place the child and no opinion on here will count. Best contact the authority for more guidance.

[Alan de Enfield]

I have no knowledge to be able to answer the question - other than to say that 'social services perception of boat dwellers appears to be pretty negative'.

 

A liveaboard friend in our marina had a stroke, he made a reasonable recovery, but after about 12 months social services and the medical profession said they would no longer support him (he was married and his wife lived on board with him), & all benefits and assistance would be removed unless they both moved into a bungalow.

 

They had to move into a 'sheltered' bungalow, they kept the boat for another year hoping to be able to return to it, but eventually accepted they would have to sell it.

[valrene9600]

Why on earth are the authorities unable to care for this man just because he lives on a boat. He can be visited by doctor and nursing staff, also welfare people can call in to help. His boat has a door the same as a bungalow.

Plenty of people get all the help they need and are helped to live in peace where they choose.

As for threatening to stop his benefits surely that can't be right.

[Alan de Enfield]

Why on earth are the authorities unable to care for this man just because he lives on a boat. He can be visited by doctor and nursing staff, also welfare people can call in to help. His boat has a door the same as a bungalow.

Plenty of people get all the help they need and are helped to live in peace where they choose.

As for threatening to stop his benefits surely that can't be right.

 

I guess it was 'inconvenient' in that the 'visitors' would have to phone and get someone to come across the marina and open the gates, they probably thought he would be 'at risk' of collapsing and falling in / drowning.

Maybe they thought that 'stepping up' into the boat was too risky for him (or the 'visitors')

 

We were not 'involved' in the discussions, just told by him & his wife what was said.

[valrene9600]

Well in can only think it's all dependant on which local authority area you live in.

I am certainly having no problems whatsoever.

Wish them both well anyway.

[roland elsdon]

I suspect if you were in a marina you might be ok if you had security of tenure, because stability is a fostering requirement.

On towpath deffo dodgy, schooling , bullying , etc all things social workers look at and being itinerant is a dodgy.

Working as community nurse in uk people on boats were looked down on by my colleagues, and they knew damn well I lived on a boat for 20 odd years, policies made up by zealous healf and safety people and 'risk assessment' make itinerants objects of suspicion.

Try getting enhanced police clearance as well...if you live on a boat.

[ditchcrawler]

Lets face it some dogs homes wont even let you have a dog if you live on a boat. There is a lot of bias out there.

[churchward]

I have no experience of fostering or the process one needs to go through but for me the most important thing is if someone can supply a caring, stable, consistent and safe environment that can properly care for the child and any issues they may have. If someone can do this living on a boat then I don't see why not.

 

I suppose the authorities will want to know they can contact the foster parents and call on them when they wish or need to.

[RLWP]

I have no experience of fostering or the process one needs to go through but for me the most important thing is if someone can supply a caring, stable, consistent and safe environment that can properly care for the child and any issues they may have. If someone can do this living on a boat then I don't see why not.

 

I suppose the authorities will want to know they can contact the foster parents and call on them when they wish or need to.

There are other considerations, mostly to do with protecting the foster parents from the child. I wonder if it is possible to make all these work within the confines of a boat

 

Richard

[churchward]

There are other considerations, mostly to do with protecting the foster parents from the child. I wonder if it is possible to make all these work within the confines of a boat

 

Richard

Yes of course. In my post I was meaning "any issues they may have" covering that eventually to go both ways for child and foster parent.

[RLWP]

Yes of course. In my post I was meaning "any issues they may have" covering that eventually to go both ways for child and foster parent.

I think we are both arguing in the same direction. It may well be that the confined environment of a boat in itself may present problems

 

Richard

[matty40s]

I have no experience of fostering or the process one needs to go through but for me the most important thing is if someone can supply a caring, stable, consistent and safe environment that can properly care for the child and any issues they may have. If someone can do this living on a boat then I don't see why not.

 

I suppose the authorities will want to know they can contact the foster parents and call on them when they wish or need to.

Unfortunately, the social services framework uses pigeon holes loosely disguised as Excel targets for assessments of both carers and carers residences to arrange placements to fit quite rigid social and ethnic needs. As someone who has experienced the sometimes ridiculous hoops you have to jump through and are expected to follow, I would really not recommend the challenge.

When taking foster kids out on the boat, social services were informed after the event, not before.

 

They all returned alive I am happy to inform you.

Edited August 20, 2016 by matty40s

[churchward]

I think we are both arguing in the same direction. It may well be that the confined environment of a boat in itself may present problems

 

Richard

Yes I suppose it could in some circumstances and each child is a unique set of circumstances to be weighed up along with the Foster parents but on principle I would not wish fostering to be ruled out just because the home is a narrowboat.

[churchward]

Unfortunately, the social services framework uses pigeon holes loosely disguised as Excel targets for assessments of both carers and carers residences to arrange placements to fit quite rigid social and ethnic needs. As someone who has experienced the sometimes ridiculous hoops you have to jump through and are expected to follow, I would really not recommend the challenge.

When taking foster kids out on the boat, social services were informed after the event, not before.

 

They all returned alive I am happy to inform you.

I am sure it is highly frustrating process. I know that a work colleague went through many hoops and assessments when trying to adopt a child. A different process of course.

 

I do also think that the authorities have a hard job too and in many ways it should be a very considered process (even difficult) to make sure the right child is matched with the right people doing it for the right reasons. After all there would soon be calls for blood if they handed a child out to someone unfit to foster or adopt who then went on to harm or abuse the child. It's a frustrating process as you will know you are OK and able to do it but the authorities do not.

[MissMax]

Wouldn't health and safety come into play regarding the child. I don't think any council authority wants to be blamed for placing a child on a canal boat surrounded by water.

I don't think saying you have a home mooring and life jackets will help either.

 

Then again, anything is possible.

[leeco]

No chance.

 

My dad fosters kids and had to cover his pond up with netting.

 

They do risk assessments of houses and are very strict so imagine a risk assessment on a boat.

[Catnip King]

No experience but I imagine you'd need a child safe boat possibly widebeam on a residential mooring in a good town for a start. It ain't going to be easy anyway.

[roland elsdon]

Social workers and health workers are all bounded by a set of criteria and rules that are made up by compliance and risk assessment, not by compassion and common sense. Both groups are blamed and Witch hunted if anything even minor goes wrong. If you were in that position would you go the extra mile and agree it. No thought not. Creativity has been kpi ed out of existence.