Becoming a Foster Carer – What You Need to Do
Do you want to give a child in need a fresh start, and a brighter future? Fostering is a rewarding job. Where else can you get the satisfaction of making a lasting difference in a child’s life? If you’re interested in becoming a foster carer, there are several steps you need to go through before you begin.
How To Begin
You need to contact your local care agency, and ask them for details on becoming a foster carer. They will send you information, and answer any questions you may have. They will typically visit you at your home to discuss fostering with you further. If you decide that you want to go ahead, then the next step is to request an application. The advisor who visited you will determine whether or not you qualify to apply.
The Application Process
The application process can take anywhere from 4-6 months, depending on your family situation. During the process, you will begin to understand how exactly fostering works, and how being a foster career will affect your life and your family.
The agency will collect all of your information, perform background checks, and contact references. They will require a medical exam and report from your GP, and a standard safety check of your home. It’s important to be as open and honest as possible, and to ask any questions that arise. Understand that the agency wants to approve you, as they need foster families…but they need to make sure that the needs of the children in care are met first and foremost.
The Assessment Process
A social worker will visit your home several times to interview you throughout the assessment process. You will be expected to attend a training course as well. Once your assessment is complete, it goes to the Fostering Panel, who then decide whether or not you are approved to be a foster carer. You will be involved in the entire decision-making process, and can attend the panel meeting.
The Foster Carer Review
Once you are approved, you’re given ongoing support by a Supervising Social Worker. They will support you during your fostering, and conduct an annual review. In the review, you and your family, including any foster children, talk about your experiences with foster care, and share what you have achieved and what, if anything, you feel you need in regards to additional training and support.
Becoming a foster carer is an involved process that ensures both you and the children you foster are cared for and supported in the best way possible.
