How to Talk to Your Family About Fostering: Tips and Advice
Welcoming a foster child into your home is an amazing thing to do and will make a huge difference to the life of that foster child. It is however a huge decision to make and one that will affect your whole family. One of the barriers many potential foster carers come across is approaching the subject of fostering with their family, particularly if they already have children. We know sometimes it might be difficult for your family to open up about their concerns, especially if it’s something you are really excited about but we are always on hand to help you through these potentially tricky and delicate conversations. Here are some starting points you may want to use when deciding to talk to your family about fostering.
We know sometimes it might be difficult for your family to open up about their concerns, especially if it’s something you are really excited about.
Mythbusting
Your family may have some preconceptions about what fostering is and about the children who go into foster care. There are many myths and misconceptions about fostering and a great first step when talking to your family is to make sure they understand what it is. There are many different reasons a child may end up in foster care, some may only need care short term due to a family illness for example. Every foster child has a different story, some may return to their families and some may not and it is the job of a fostering family to keep them safe and happy whatever their circumstances. Lots of people choose to become foster carers and for lots of different reasons, usually because they want to be able to make a difference to a child’s life.
How will it affect them?
Having someone new come and live in your home can feel like a really big deal, especially to a child who is used to their family the way it is. Reassure them that your love and affection for them will not change and that their role in the family is now more important and valued than ever as they can make a huge difference. Talk to them about all of the fun activities that come with being a fostering family and all of the new people they will get to meet through your local fostering community. There will be other children of fostering families they can talk to and make friends with over this amazing shared experience.
What happens now?
It will be useful for your family to know, particularly any children, that fostering doesn’t happen overnight. Before you welcome a child into your family home, there will be plenty of time for them to chat with our fostering team and ask the experts any questions they like. Reassure them that when the time comes, you will be given plenty of information about any children you foster before they arrive and that they will always be encouraged to ask questions or voice any concerns before the child arrives.
Why would we do it?
The most important thing to talk to your family about is why you want to be a foster carer. Everybody has different motivations for fostering but all have one thing in common, the desire to make a difference to a foster child’s life. Take some time with your family to read some of our stories and get them excited about doing something amazing together as a family.
We hope this article goes some way to help answer some questions or concerns about talking to your family about fostering. If you’d like some more information, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our fostering team or look at some of our other frequently asked questions.