Moving on from a foster placement

Fostering a child is a unique experience, but it’s always uncertain how long you will be fostering.

Fostering is a very different process from adoption, although your role as a parent is very similar – it is incredibly important to remember that your job is to temporarily provide a child with a safe home.

Prepare yourself during the placement

You must remember to prepare yourself to finish your fostering placement – any fostering experience is only temporary. Your job as a carer is to fill the role of a parent. Having a positive impact on a child’s life is an incredibly important factor.

There are many things to keep in mind when preparing to end your placement. You may find it more difficult to say goodbye if you are looking after just one child, or especially hard if you have to end a placement with siblings.

Keeping a healthy mindset throughout your fostering journey is a good way to prepare yourself for the inevitability of the placement ending. If you have truly enjoyed the process of becoming a foster carer and wish to foster again, we are always open to taking on recurring foster parents.

Saying goodbye

The hardest part of the fostering process is saying goodbye to your child/children. Although this can be very hard for you it is also very difficult for the child. Your first priority should be making sure that your foster child is prepared and understands why they are moving on. During this time of leaving their foster family, a child can feel especially vulnerable – remember, they’re saying goodbye to more friends and family members than you are when saying goodbye to them.

Have a day out

If you feel it would help both you and your foster child, why not do something nice together towards the end of your placement? Something simple like a trip to the zoo, or to the beach could leave the child with great, long-lasting memories of their time as part of your family.

Give your foster child a keepsake

During your final days with your foster child, a great option to celebrate your time together is to give them a small gift or keepsake to remember you with. Doing this can help the child stay positive in a time when they may feel nervous or uncertain.

Fostering is an amazing experience – it’s always much better to look back at the impact you had on your foster child than to look back, upset that it finished. Taking on this role is an incredibly rewarding experience and you should feel proud of what you have experienced.