Think You are Ready to be a Foster Parent?

Think You are Ready to be a Foster Parent?
Foster care is the interim parents a child in the foster care system can have, until they get adopted or reach adulthood. The foster parents commit a lot when they take in foster children and most of the time, the parents and the kids develop a good and healthy relationship. When a foster family is chosen for a child, he or she comes in with a lot of expectations; the family takes it upon themselves to make the child’s life better.It can take time for the child to get integrated into the new family. Things like going back to school may even feel intimidating for the young child. Here the foster carer plays a crucial role in assuring the child that things are going to get better.Huge ResponsibilityEntrusted with such an important responsibility, no wonder the foster carer is assessed in detail. According to Tahir Khan of PerpetualFostering.co.uk every applicant must be reviewed by the Fostering Panel before they can begin fostering. Their final decision will be submitted to the Agency Decision Maker. After finding a carer suitable for the job, they are given the responsibility of fostering a child.Who Is An Ideal Foster Carer?No fancy college degree is required to be a foster carer. If you have the heart and willingness to welcome a child in need into your home, you will surely get a stand to be evaluated for the position. Meeting the requirements and if the assessor does not find any specific problem with your application you will be considered. Once the decision is reached and is affirmative: you can start this wonderfully rewarding journey.How To Prepare For The Assessment?It is always a great idea to enroll in a skill development course to prepare you for the upcoming assessment and responsibility. You should also interact with another foster carer in order to have a better understanding of the system. Sit and discuss as a family on how to welcome the new member. Disclose all necessary details to your assessor.How Does An Assessment Help?An assessment helps greatly to determine not just eligibility but also which family is more suitable for which type f child. A child with special needs will be placed in such a home where the foster carer is aware of how to deal with the needs of such a child. Each assessment is very individualistic and case-based.Can A Child Be Moved From One Foster Home To Another?There are situations when children can be moved from one home and get placed at another family. It happens if the child cannot be managed by the family due to situations beyond their control. Such cases arise when families shift from one place to another, becomes insolvent or may even get seriously sick. Children can also be taken away if there are reports of violence.Once you begin the journey of being a foster carer, it is important that you start building happy memories. As they say, children grow up very fast. So, it is important to have fun together as a family.
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