As you consider fostering, it’s essential to know what fostering is, what it involves, and what you’ll need to provide for your foster child. Below is an overview of what prospective foster carers need to know before fostering a child and what fostering involves. For further information, visit St David’s Fostering Service.
The Foster Carer Role
Becoming a foster parent is a significant commitment that can benefit both the child and the foster families involved. When you decide to foster, you start a fostering journey filled with varied experiences, providing a stable, supportive home for children in need. This journey requires compassion, flexibility, and understanding as you create a safe, valued, and thriving home for children.
Foster carers provide a safe, stable, and nurturing home for children and young people who can’t live with their birth parents. Becoming a foster carer means you’ll need to be able to support, understand, and adapt to each child’s individual needs and experiences.
What is Fostering?
Fostering is generally a short-term arrangement, although some placements can last several years. Foster care placements can range from a few weeks to several years, depending on the needs of the child and the circumstances of their birth family.
- Initial Enquiry: Most fostering journeys start with an initial enquiry to a fostering service or local authority.
- Application and Assessment: Social workers will visit you to conduct interviews, assess your suitability, and discuss fostering, including the needs of foster children, your support networks, and how fostering may impact your own family.
- Training and Preparation: Many fostering services offer pre-approval training to help you prepare.
- Approval by the Fostering Panel: Once you’ve completed the assessment, your application will go to the fostering panel. This panel, comprising social workers and other professionals, reviews your application and decides whether to approve you as a foster carer.
- Approval and Matching: If approved, you become an approved foster carer. Your fostering service will then match you with a foster child or sibling group in need, taking into account your preferences, strengths, and experiences.
Preparing for Your First Foster Child
- Age and Needs of the Child: Fostering older children or young people may bring different challenges, while fostering infants or toddlers may require more hands-on care.
- Space Requirements: Foster carers need a spare bedroom to provide foster children with their own space, which is essential for their sense of security.
- Involving Your Family: Preparing your family members for the changes that come with welcoming a new child or young person can help everyone settle in.
- Supporting Vulnerable Children: Many foster children have experienced mental illness, neglect, or abuse.
Support for Foster Carers
- Financial Support: Foster carers receive a weekly fostering allowance, which is a taxable income intended to cover the costs of caring for a child. This allowance varies depending on the child’s age, location, and needs.
- Training and Development: Foster care training can cover topics like trauma-informed care, working with birth families, and understanding special needs.
- Support Groups and Networks: Having a support network of other foster carers and access to social workers can be invaluable during challenging times.
- Access to Social Workers: As a foster carer, you’ll regularly meet with a designated social worker, who will provide guidance, monitor the child’s well-being, and offer support as needed.
Fostering and Your Own Family
Fostering brings a new dynamic to your own family, so it’s essential to consider how it will impact your own children and partner.
However, fostering can also bring challenges. The arrival of a foster child can sometimes cause tension or require changes within the family unit.
Building a Positive Relationship with the Foster Child’s Birth Family
Maintaining a good relationship with birth parents can be crucial to the child feeling safe, loved, and cared for by their foster family.
Other Considerations in Fostering
- Age Limit: Some fostering services have an upper age limit for carers, usually around 55-60, but this can vary depending on health and ability.
- Sexual Orientation: Many fostering services welcome carers from diverse backgrounds.
- Types of Placements: Fostering can be short-term, long-term, respite, or emergency, so it’s essential to choose a placement type that suits your own family dynamics and availability.
How Fostering Affects Your Daily Life
Fostering will require changes to your routines, additional responsibilities, and the need for flexibility in your career or daily schedule.
Many foster carers manage careers alongside their fostering commitments, but some may need to explore part-time or flexible roles to accommodate the demands of fostering children.
Conclusion: Is Fostering for You?
Fostering can be a life-changing experience for both the foster family and the child. Foster parents provide a safe and supportive environment where a vulnerable child can flourish and heal.
Understanding the assessment process, building a support network, and preparing your own family are crucial steps in this rewarding journey.
