Becoming a foster carer is a life changing decision. Essex County Council offer foster carers access to clinical leads and mental health co-ordinators.
When you foster with Essex County Council, we support you all the way. Foster carers, your family and looked after children can access mental health support. This supports our therapeutic fostering approach.
What is therapeutic fostering?
All looked after children have experienced trauma. They are young, facing disruption in their lives and have their own stories that brought them to you. Therapeutic fostering gives children and families tools to acknowledge and overcome this together.
How to access mental health support
If you are a foster carer with Essex County Council, you have a supervising social worker (SSW). They should be your first call, the team are here to help your family. Your SSW can refer you to the clinical team, for informal help or something more structured.
Find resources from our team
Each month, our team of experts share resources and tools to support with therapeutic fostering.
Meet Essex County Council's fostering clinical team
Every member of our team are highly-qualified and experienced. Everyone is passionate about supporting vulnerable children and their carers. Meet our team of clinical leads.
Barbara Canepa is the Consultant Clinical Psychologist. She is the overall clinical lead for Children and Families service, including fostering and adoption. Barbara co-ordinates therapeutic training for foster carers and social care teams across Essex.
Teresa Sanz is the Clinical Lead for the West quadrant. She delivers the thought-provoking Teens, Troubles and Trauma, and Child Development workshops.
Ruth McGugan is the Clinical Lead in the North quadrant. Ruth delivers therapeutic training for foster carers and social care staff.
Dimitra Theodoropoulou is the Clinical Lead for the Mid quadrant. Dimitra joins the clinical leads in delivering therapeutic training.
Katherine Mautner is the Clinical Lead for Adoption and Special Guardianship (SG). She delivers training to staff on a variety of topics. Katherine enjoys developing training that is playful, and interactive.
Georgiana Nica is the Clinical Lead for Residential. She delivers training on child development and therapeutic pathways for residential support workers.