How prepared are you for the arrival of your foster children?
When it comes to fostering in Nottingham, sometimes, the anticipation of being approved as a foster carer is the focus of everything you do. Once you’re able to foster, being approved as a foster carer is just the start of your fostering journey. Once approved, the time to prepare to welcome your foster children into your home begins. Depending on which independent fostering agency you are dealing with, you may have your foster children come and live with you immediately, or have a little bit of time before they arrive. Whatever the circumstance may be, we believe it’s good to be prepared and we’re going to give you some advice on how to do so.
Different circumstances
Your fostering agency will assist you with the process of welcoming your foster children into your home and you will receive all of the information you need when you deal with Fostering Dimensions. If you experience a false start, whereby you are told that a child will be coming to live with you and then they don’t, don’t worry because this can happen often. This is not a reflection on you or your home, it could simply be a result of something procedural such as legal processes. Always keep in mind that hurdles may occur and you have been chosen by your fostering agency to care for foster children so always remain confident about your ability to providing a loving and stable home for them.
Prepare to lay down the ground rules
Once you get the call from your fostering agency about your foster children coming to live with you – they could be with you in a blink of the eye. Your foster children could be with you within hours, so it’s always a nice touch to have their bedroom or their favourite meal prepared in advance. Obviously, it may not always be easy to do this but you’ll have plenty of chances to discover what your foster children like and dislike as you nurture your on-going relationship.
Always remember that your foster children will be coming into a new environment that is completely alien to them, so naturally, they will not be aware of any house rules and basic day to day details. A great idea that you could use is to create a family book which sets out how your house operates from bedtimes, mealtimes and rules. It will be easy to give them something to refer to. You must also be clear about behaviour expectations.
Keeping your foster children safe is at utmost importance and you can always speak to your agency about caring policies to use. If you are waiting for your foster children to be placed with you, this is a good time to set out some guidelines and make yourself and family familiar with these.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
We appreciate more than anyone that having foster children living with you is as big an adjustment for you as well as your foster children. If you are in any case worried or unsure about the placement of your foster children, always remember that your fostering agency will have dedicated members that you can approach with any questions or queries you may have.
You can even get in touch with other local foster carers for some practical advice. After all, they know how you feel and will be happy to share their experiences with you to make the start into your fostering journey as seamless as possible.
Believe in yourself and your decisions
If you’re concerned about saying yes to a particular child coming to live with you, do not be afraid to say so and stand your ground if necessary. Fostering in Nottingham will often push you to the edge of your comfort zone but your fostering agency can provide you with continued training and support to meet your foster children’s’ needs. However, if you still believe that you and your family are not best placed to meet the needs of a child then you should raise these concerns and decline the arrangement, rather than add to the instability of a child’s care experience.