How will fostering affect my family

Fostering a child is an extremely rewarding experience for many children and potential foster families. If you’re thinking about becoming a foster parent then you'll likely have a few questions (to say the least). Becoming a foster parent will be one of the biggest decisions a family has to make which is why the decision needs to be made carefully. In this blog, we will explore a few points that will hopefully help guide you along the way.

Family Dynamics

A common challenge that you may be wary of is the expectations that you are placing on your children which, in the short term, could disrupt family dynamics. As a new child enters your home, you are asking your children to share their home, possessions and family with a child that they do not know. This may also include asking them to cope with behaviours and characteristics that they may not be accustomed to.

We often find that this only leads to children becoming more caring and understanding of other people’s problems, helping them to demonstrate compassion and empathy towards others who are perhaps not as fortunate. When a new child enters a family home, especially a baby or toddler, your child may feel that it is their role to help guide them and become a role model, demonstrating how to behave towards the family and around the house.

Learn New Skills

While fostering is a very fulfilling experience, there are certainly many skills to be obtained and developed, whether you’re fostering for the first time or you have fostered in the past. Each child will pose new challenges to overcome, helping you learn more about children, behaviour, life and yourself. This will often come about naturally as the relationship grows but there is plenty of training and support available along the way to help guide you.

Sharing lives with others provides your children with the opportunity to make new friends and gain valuable insight, developing lessons for life. It’s not something you undertake lightly, but it can be extremely worthwhile for everyone involved.

Financially

For many new foster parents, the financial uncertainty that comes with caring for a child can often be quite daunting. We do provide all of our carers with a competitive allowance for your hard work and to ensure that the child placed into your care is well looked after. Depending on several factors such as location and the needs of the child, you could be rewarded with up to £26,000 a year. While monetary factors certainly play a part in the decision-making process, they should not act as the primary motivating factor behind your decision. Fostering is life-changing, not just for the child in care, but for the carer, too.

We hope this blog has provided some more insight into just how fostering can positively impact your family and family life. Fostering is no doubt a huge decision for both parents and children which is why our placement matching team works tirelessly to find an accurate match for you and your family. If you would like to learn more about fostering and how it can impact your family, get in touch with our team.

Contact Us | Nexus Fostering