Who Can Become a Carer?
Formal qualifications are not required to be a foster carer. It is more important to have experience, understanding and common sense. You do not have to have been a parent yourself to have the skills required but if you have been a parent and brought children up through the terrible twos, the trauma of their school days and through the angst of adolescence, then you will have a true understanding of the ups and down of bringing up a child. If you have managed to bring up any children successfully then you will understand the ups and downs of being a parent.
It is not easy to be a foster carer and in many ways it is more difficult than being a parent. Difficult? Yes. Impossible? No. Here are some qualities we look for in potential carers:
- Ability to work as a team member.
- High levels of tolerance, energy and understanding.
- A sense of humour and an attitude not to take life too seriously.
- Willingness to work with the birth families of relatives of the child, even though your first instinct is to steer clear.
- Commitment to training on an ongoing basis.
- A spare bedroom – Looked after children cannot share bedrooms with your own children.
How we match foster carers with Children
During the assessment we carefully match the needs of the child with the abilities and aptitude of the carers. Through this, we will be able to come to a conclusion as to the best match for child and carer. Some carers are better suited to look after young children, yet others prefer having older children and young people in the household. Some may be better abled to care for boys, others better with girls.
Moving from their home and family is a distressing experience for all children/young people – many may not fully understand the reasons for what is happening. If there are then subsequent moves to different Foster Carers, this only adds to the disruption and upheaval the child suffers. Children who experience several placement moves are more likely to display challenging behaviour, which in turn may be a cause of further foster placement breakdown. Consequently we do what we can to prevent disruptions. Firstly we:
- Match your own skills and abilities to the needs of the child. We will not place a child if the match isn’t good.
- Provide you with a high level of support. Generally, we will speak to you on a weekly basis but, If there are difficulties, this may be on a daily basis. We will visit you fortnightly, yet if there are difficulties then this will be much more regular and you will have formal supervision on a monthly basis (at least).
As a carer, what are we asking you to do?
As a carer we would expect you to bring up the child or young person with the same standards as you would your own child We also expect that this will be much more than simply offering “bed and breakfast” to children and young people.
Carers have to:
- Work in close partnership not only with your own Supervising Social Worker, but also with the many other people that are involved with the child’s life – there could be a Special Needs Coordinator, a probation worker, a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Social Work to name but a few.
- You will protect children/young people in your care from coming to harm. You will also help them to look after themselves, teaching them to recognise inappropriate behaviour from adults, and ensure that they know how to get help if they feel unsafe.
- You will build relationships with the children or young people in your care and help them to relate to and trust others - something they may find very difficult because of previous experience. Your patience and understanding will help them learn how to develop healthy friendships and attachments with children and adults.
- You will help children/young people to keep links with their families and friends (where appropriate), because a child’s background remains an important part of who they are, even if living at home is no longer possible.
- You will help a child/young person to understand and feel positive about their religion, and culture. We try to match children with Foster Carers of a similar ethnic background, but this is not always possible; as a Foster Carer, you will need to be willing to promote a child’s cultural and religious background, even if it is different to your own.
- You will work within an agreed Care Plan and keep written records of any child/ young person’s progress. You may be asked to contribute to reviews and reports about the child, and may have access to confidential and sensitive information, which we will ask you to treat responsibly. You will get support and training to enable you to do this.