Social workers and case workers will do an in-depth assessment on a person wanting to become a foster carer. This will include speaking to family, friends, and colleagues. One question that they look for evidence of is why a person has volunteered to foster a child. We list some of the best reasons volunteers give.
Wanting To Make A Difference In A Child’s Life
Many children suffer from abuse and neglect at the hands of their biological parents. This results in a complaint being filed and investigated. If the courts are convinced of a child being harmed in the primary home, they will make an order that places the child in care. From there, suitable foster carers are sought to provide the child with a stable home.
Volunteers understand that these children have had a raw deal and want to give them a chance at a safe and happy life. They do not relish the thought of a child growing up in a children’s home.
Parental Skills
Volunteer foster carers consider themselves successful parents of their biological children. They would like to use these skills to help children who need a loving home. These people are confident that they can utilise their abilities to help a child heal from the trauma that resulted in the child being placed in care. These carers know that each child is unique and should be treated as an individual.
No Biological Children Of Their Own
There are many reasons why some couples or individuals have never had children. Perhaps one of the partners has fertility issues, or a person spent the first half of their life setting up a career and find that it is too late to have children of their own. These volunteers would dearly love to have a child to care for. They want to experience parenthood. Often, they have the wherewithal to provide well for a child and want to share their good fortune.
Lifetime Foster Carers
Some people were born to foster. They can be relied on to take in a child at the drop of a hat in an emergency. If a child stays with them long-term, they feel extra blessed but if a child is there for a short while, they are content in the knowledge that they were available when needed. They know that they have planted seeds that will ripen over time.
These individuals love children, have a common sense, firm but loving way of treating them, and are willing to help whenever they care called upon. Whether they foster a baby for a year, a teen for a weekend, or three siblings of various ages to adulthood, their doors and hearts are always open. A home is just a house without any children for them.
Experienced Trauma Themselves
There are some people whose challenges in life have imbued them with a desire to be an agent for positive change in someone else’s life. Such persons may have been in foster care or an abusive home while growing up. They know what not to do from personal experience. Perhaps they had an adult who gave them hope or made them feel safe in a dangerous world. These individuals also know the importance of solid, healthy meals, affection, playtime, and room to vent.
If one or more of these reasons apply to you, give some serious thought to fostering and making a difference in a child’s life. Still undecided? Get your questions answered at ispfostering.org.uk.
Choose to change children’s lives for the better.
