Are You Ready To Become a Foster Parent
Are You Ready To Become a Foster Parent
Are You Ready To Become a Foster Parent
Fostering can be a huge step. A new addition to the family, whether you already have children of your own or are a couple without children, can change the whole dynamic of the household.
Fostering can be extremely rewarding; it can bring real life into your household and provide a great deal of good memories and experiences for the child, you and your whole family. However, fostering is a real commitment and not something to be entered into lightly.
If you're thinking of taking that first step into fostering a child, try asking yourself the following questions:
Do you have support?
Fostering will definitely provide a challenge and will at time be stressful. For this reason, it's very important that you have a good support network of friend and family around you who will provide you with a place to vent as well as lending a helping hand when you need one. If you don't have this support network in your family and friends, try joining a foster support network. Many foster agency's have their own support networks and if yours doesn't, consider starting one with the other foster carers.
Are you patient?
Fostering is open to almost anyone, but there are a few personal attributes you'll need in order to make it as a successful foster parent and top of that list is PATIENCE. If you don't consider yourself patient then you may struggle.
Can you handle a lack of gratitude from the child?
The child you take is unlikely to be grateful for being removed from a damaging environment, in fact, quite the opposite, often abuse is all they know, and often they will not be happy about being remove from their home and what they know. Be prepared for the child to be anything but happy about being placed in your home. It may take several months and lots of loving care before the child becomes aware they have been placed in a better situation.
Can you handle bad attitude/behaviour?
You're likely to be fostering a child who has suffered abuse, whether it mental, physical or sexual. This is likely to result in a child with behavioural problems. These children can be angry, resentful and sad, and this is likely to be taken out on you. Be prepared for a rough start and remember that this child may not have seen much love before, it could take weeks or even months to gain their trust and improve their behaviour. It's worth it in the end though.
Are you willing to have social workers in your home?
Part of your role as a foster parent will involve working with social workers to help the child get back home or to a permanent placement such as adoption. You will have to be willing to invite social workers into your home as and when necessary to keep the communication channels open between yourself and them.
Can you cope with the child leaving?
I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but foster care is not permanent. You need to be able to accept the change in situation again when the child moves back to their home or on to adoptive parents. The relationship does not have to completely end here however, often with the consent of the child's birth or adoptive parents you can remain in contact with your foster child after they move.
Do you have buy in from the whole family?
Brining a new addition into the family, no matter how temporary, is a big change for everyone in the household. The child you bring in will have come from a difficult situation and they now need a stable and loving environment, they will quickly pick up on animosity if there is someone in the household who is less than happy for them to be there. If you haven't got buy in form everyone in your household, it would be unfair on your family and the foster child.
If you can answer yes to all of the above questions, than you're probably ready to take your next step and foster a child.
Before you do so, think carefully about what would suit your family best, you will have some choices such as age of the child, the sex and even behaviours that you can and can't cope with. Think about the age of your children and what would fit best with them. Be aware that when it comes to behaviours, foster agencies and social workers are sometimes not aware of certain behaviours or the child may start to exhibit a behaviour they have not done previously, so this is not an exact science.
http://www.articlesbase.com/parenting-articles/are-you-ready-to-become-a-foster-parent-3846001.html
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