Taking care of a foster child is an incredible thing to do. You are doing to your family as well as a service to a child. Unfortunately, some children are left without homes and parents. Some of them grow up in hostile conditions and are taken away from their biological parents. The situations for children in foster care vary greatly
Here are some things you should think about before deciding if you are ready or not: Is this a job for an income or do you love it?
A lot of people think of the money they get from the government as part of the consideration, but the reality is that it does not pay a significant amount, and you should really not consider the money as a factor. Taking on a foster child is not a “job” so you should decide “would I do this without a paycheck?” If the answer is “yes” than thats great.
Your entire family has to be ready
When you are taking a foster child into your family, every member should be ready to deal with the changes. If you haven’t already you need to talk to your children and spouse about what changes will occur in the household, and how this affects your day to day life. Remember, you need to teach your family members how to also embrace a foster child as a family member and not just a job. If you haven’t already done this, start by reading more about perpetual fostering on
www.perpetualfostering.co.uk.
Recognize that you will have to communicate with different parties
It’s important to be ready for the communication process.
Taking a foster child in your house is not just a one step process. You will need to communicate with the biological family, therapists, teachers (if the kid is in school), social workers and judges. Besides that, you need to remember that your entire family is part of the communication process. It would also be a good thing to communicate with experienced foster parents. And most of all, you need to be prepared to communicate with the fostered kid. You are ready to face problems in behavior Be ready to face difficulties and know how to handle them as a foster parent.
Realize that you may have to say goodbye
Attachments are hard to break. While you need to
give the child a warm welcome and cozy environment, you need to know that there may be a day when you have to say goodbye. It can be difficult to say goodbye once the kid is
reunited with the biological family, or sent away to the foster home.
You are ready to work with others
Foster parents often go to group meetings of other foster parents and social agency representatives. You don’t feel nervous about meeting the child’s biological parents. If you feel like you meet all the requirements and skills, then you might be ready to become a foster parent, ready to give a foster child a warm house and comfortable living for a period of time. At most, you realize your importance and your role in this child’s development.
