Thousands of children go into care every day in the UK. The fostering framework across the region is burdened by increasing numbers of children that need help and despite the best efforts of all stakeholders, many end up in children’s homes, where the living environment is not as fit as it should be under foster carers.
Prerequisites For Foster Care
Fostering children is a noble task – one that comes with its own rewards and incentives. If you consider becoming a foster parent, then the good news is that applying for the profile is not a complicated affair. Lisa Witter from PerpetualFostering.co.uk recently explained that in order to be eligible to become a carer, an individual has to be over the age of 21. Additionally, carers need to have one or more spare rooms available, as well as a strong understanding of and fluency in English.
A few necessary processes need to be followed if you want to become a carer. Financial health is very important – someone going through bankruptcy will not be able to apply for foster care responsibilities. Those with serious criminal records will not be able to become foster parents.
Foster Care Funding
There is funding provided by the fostering network to ensure that the child is being taken care of in the right environment and offered the right facilities. These expenses covered by the fostering network would include money for food and clothes, and other regular requirements that children have. The payments given to foster carers depend on the details of the foster caring relationship.
Those who take care of children with special needs should be paid well. Many foster carers have regular jobs and supplement their income with the incentives they get from fostering, while many others consider it as a full-time commitment.
Dealing With Children’s Problems
The children who get into the foster care system have faced a lot of trauma and neglect in their own homes. Many are victims of physical and sexual abuse and there are thousands of cases where parental neglect has let to children hurting themselves or falling sick. In lots of instances, parents and blood relatives are themselves struggling with addictions and are unable to provide care for their children.
There are also cases where parents are suffering from serious illnesses and the child needs to be taken care of by a foster parent for a temporary duration. These experiences have repercussions on the child’s development as time passes. Children who are shifted from home to home do not get the security and safety of a constant guardian above them. They tend to suffer academically and many have behavioral issues.
As a foster parent, you will be given all the necessary resources required to take up this important role. Social workers will always be on call and you will undergo training so you are prepared to handle common scenarios faced by foster carers. Foster caring gives you the opportunity to be a beacon in someone’s life. Relish the beautiful and lifelong relationship you nurture as you welcome a child into your loving home.
