When you become a foster parent, you open your home to vulnerable children in need, giving them the love and care that they deserve. If you’ve been a parent yourself, then you’ll already know what to expect, right? It might surprise you to learn that there’s quite a bit more to fostering than simply parenting the foster children you welcome into your home.
The role and responsibilities of a foster parent are a little more nuanced than simply parenting. Yes, you’re giving foster children a safe space to call their own and ensuring that they’re clothed and fed. But foster children often have a lot of trauma, which means you can’t simply parent them as if they were your own children. The needs of each child are different and require a trauma-informed approach.
Today, we’re going to take a closer look at the real role of a foster parent and why this is more than just parenting the children you welcome into your home. So let’s look at what fostering really involves.
What is the role of a foster parent?
As we’ve touched on briefly above, the role of a foster parent is a little more complex than that of a parent. When you choose to have children of your own or adopt, you have time to process how your life is going to change. But having foster children in your life can change quite suddenly, depending on the type of fostering you’ve opted for.
If you’re open to emergency foster care, for example, a child could arrive at your home at short notice with little time to prepare. The overall aim of fostering is to see these children reunited with their own families, but in some cases, they might need to move on to another family’s home.
Your role as a foster parent is to provide a safe, loving home for these vulnerable children. Remember that every child is different, and there won’t be a one-size-fits-all approach that will suit every child you welcome into your home. For some children, this might be the first time they’ve experienced this kind of environment, so it’s important to have patience and to go at their pace.
What are the responsibilities of a foster parent?
At first glance, the responsibilities of a foster parent might seem similar to those of a birth parent.
However, as a foster parent you’ll be looking after these children on a temporary or ongoing basis. Any decision making about the foster child will be made jointly between yourself and the child’s birth parents or the local authority.
Foster children also carry a lot of trauma, so one of your main responsibilities will be creating a safe space to help them work through their emotions. Stability will be an important aspect of fostering.
As a foster parent, some of your responsibilities will also include:
- Keeping up to date with training, both mandatory and for ongoing personal development
- Filling out paperwork relevant to fostering, such as daily logs on your foster child’s progress
- Attending meetings on your foster child’s progress, including parents’ evenings or meetings with your fostering agency
- Getting your foster child to school safely and helping them to succeed with their education
- Helping your foster child to attend any medical appointments they might need
- Providing emotional support for your foster child
- Looking after your foster child’s health and wellbeing
- Building strong relationships with your foster child
- Helping your foster child to feel like they belong
- Nurturing your foster child’s identity
- Managing their behaviour when your foster child struggles with trauma
There are also a couple of foster care requirements to bear in mind before you can become a foster parent, such as having a spare room for a foster child to stay in and make their own.
What makes a good foster parent?
The one key skill that you’ll need to make an excellent foster parent is empathy. Sadly, the vast majority of children that enter foster care have experienced some kind of trauma. It’s important to not view a foster child’s behaviour as “acting out”, but more as a response to what’s happened to them before you met them.
Your job as a foster parent is to help foster children to feel like they’re in a safe space where they can work through their trauma. This could mean helping them to regulate their emotions, staying calm, and helping them to look towards building a brighter future for themselves. Family fostering is such an important vocation, giving vulnerable foster children the loving and stable homes that they deserve.
As a foster parent for Orange Grove, you’ll have plenty of support behind you so that you can do an outstanding job. This includes a dedicated social worker, a 24/7 helpline so that you get the help you need when you need it most, ongoing training, and much more.
Curious about fostering?
Taking that first step on your fostering journey can often be scary, but you won’t regret it once you’ve welcomed your first child and made a difference in their life. Becoming a foster family is one of the most rewarding things you can choose to do. If you’re thinking about fostering but want to know more, our friendly team are here to help.
Simply fill out our online enquiry form or give us a ring on 0800 369 8513 to speak to one of our team members today. They’ll talk you through fostering in more detail and answer any questions you might have. Could you make a difference in a child’s life?
