How fostering can affect carers with existing families
Fostering is open to people of all backgrounds, family structures and walks of life if they have a spare room and are willing to give children in need a safe, loving home.
If you are fostering or thinking about fostering, and have children of your own living with you, you might be wondering how fostering will affect your family, and if there is any support for children whose parents are foster carers. Beacon Fostering encourages families with children to consider fostering as a vocation, so here are some ways that it can affect them.
Family relationships
Fostering is a good way for your existing children to learn about the lives and experiences of others, and also demonstrates that families are defined by relationships of love and support, rather than blood.
After discussing this with your children and other family members living with you, and eventual application and approval, you can start developing the foundation for these familial relationships by asking your children for suggestions on welcoming the foster child in their home, such as a welcome book, or gifts such as a teddy bear.
Social worker and agency support
Your designated social worker and fostering agency will consider the needs of your children when you start your fostering journey. Although it’s expected that your children will go to you if they have any questions, they can also talk to the social worker and participate in the wider Beacon Fostering community. This will help them with managing changes that come with a new child entering their home.