If you are keen on fostering but have no idea how to go about it, you are at the right place. First and foremost you need to understand what fostering is. Fostering is providing care or home to a child for a specific period of time. There are different types of fostering which are currently in practice. It is a temporary arrangement of providing for a child until they move out. At the end of the period, the child could choose to live independently or move back to their parents homes. This is not adoption, it is a temporary solution offered to the child. Anybody can become a foster carer. If you know English language, have a spare room and are above the age of 21, you can become a foster carer. You will not have to give up your job but you need to have enough flexibility in your work life.
Every individual has the ability to look after children and make a positive contribution to their life. If you want to become a foster carer, you will have to register yourself with a local authority or with a private carer. They will access the qualities based on your personality and attributes and base their decision on the same. You should not think of making money through fostering. Rather, you should be keen on providing a caring and lovable environment to the child. Money making is not appreciated in fostering. If the thought of helping children appeals to you, you can build a career as a foster carer.
Follow these steps to become a foster carer.
In your first step as a carer, you will be have a long chat on a phone call. Here, you can ask as many questions as you feel like and get all the information you need. Incase you need any clarity with regard to fostering, you can feel free to ask all the queries and they will be answered. They will also ask you certain questions you will have to answer. There is no qualification requirement for become a foster carer, however, you need to have a spare bedroom and be healthy. You must not have been declared bankrupt in the past nor should you have any criminal convictions. After the step, the social worker will come for a round to your house and have a detailed chat with you. You can ask more questions about the same if need be.
The second step begins after the house has been checked and a detailed discussion has been carried out. Here, you will be given a form to fill and you have to submit it to them. In the form, you might be required to take training for the skills needed to work as a foster carer. In the training, you will be taught about what you have to do as a carer and the kind of support children need. You will have to promote positive identities for people and support the child in the best possible manner. You will also learn practical strategies to deal with the day to day situations faced by the children. This training will take place over a period of three days and there are no exams or tests after that. It will be led by social workers and will be focused around group discussions. You can learn more about it on https://perpetualfostering.co.uk/. Further, they will speak to the references which could be your family, friends or colleagues.
You will then be assign a social worker who will be your point of contact at all times. You can have any questions and they will be there to answer them. The conversation with the social worker should be a two way process where you can openly talk to them about your concerns and questions. These chats will allow you to learn more about being a foster carer and it will also help you figure out how to support the child. A report will be prepared at the end of this step with all the information gathered from you.
The next step is a panel review. Your social worker will submit the report to an independent panel which will review the evidence and decide whether you should be approved as a foster carer or not. You need to remember that this is a time consuming and rigorous process because they are looking for people who will give their best to children. They do not want people who are looking to make money out of it. Your report will be discussed with the supervising social worker first and then you will be invited to the panel. You will be asked to talk about yourself at the panel which consists of five people. The final decision will be made here and they will let you know their decision at the end of the meeting.
The entire process could take about four to six weeks. Some steps are quick while others take a lot of time. The panel will meet twice a month which means you might have to wait for your appointment. You can complete the rest of the steps at the earliest. The panel wants to choose the best people for this job, this is the main reason there are many steps to becoming a foster carer. They want people who are genuine and capable of providing the best to children. At every stage, they will determine your ability to love and care for a child while teaching them the right and wrong. If the references give a negative opinion about you, then the panel might not approve your application. This process cannot be rushed as it is for the best of the children. Once you have been approved by the panel, the social security worker will connect you with children according to your preferences and match the same with the child’s. You will soon become a foster carer and have a child fill up your home with joy and laughter.