4 Reasons To Consider Becoming a Foster Carer

Many people choose to foster a child or children every year and the more people who foster, the more chances children in need have of finding a home. Foster carers play a vital role in caring for children who can’t live with their own parents or family for various reasons.

Fostering can be a very hard job, but it’s also extremely rewarding and could be the best decision of your life. If you are considering fostering, here are a few reasons why it may be the right choice for you and your family.

Help a Child

The most obvious and important reason for anyone to foster is that they can touch and change the life of children in care. Helping a child and supporting them through their early years or teenage angst can be the best thing you could do for them. Whilst you may not be able to fix their problems in their own home, you can be there to support them through everything so that they don’t have to go through anything alone.

Expand Your Family

If you are looking to expand your family, either temporary or permanently, fostering is a good place to start. If you are considering adoption, fostering a child first is a good way to see how you get on, how the family bonds and whether adoption is the right choice for you. There are many differences between fostering and adoption, so ensure you know these before making a choice.

If you have your own children who have grown up and moved out, fostering is a great way to continue parenting and providing care for children in your family home.

Additional Support and Training

Finding a great foster care agency means you will have all the support and training you could possibly need to become the best foster carer you can be. Foster care agencies such as Calon Cymru Fostering provide both practical and emotional support so that you can deal with anything fostering throws at you.

There are always ongoing training and development programmes in place, meaning you can choose to expand your knowledge to look after children with more complex needs. Being a foster carer is about more than being a good parent; you may encounter children who have experienced abuse, lacked parental support or have physical or mental health conditions, therefore regular training is of the utmost importance.

Fostering Can Be Your Job

If your current job role isn’t making you happy or you haven’t gone back into a role since having children, fostering can become your full-time job role. For many foster carers, fostering is their career and what they are truly passionate about.

Fostering is a great choice for many looking to care for children in their local community that need a loving and caring environment. If fostering sounds right for you, speak to a local foster care agency for more advice on how to get started.

Have you ever fostered or considered fostering a child? Let me know in the comments 🙂