When it comes to fostering in Nottingham, there are often misconceptions associated with it. Naturally, there are many questions you may have if you’re considering becoming a foster carer and we’re dedicated to getting you fully prepared before you embark on this journey. Some people believe that you have to be married or in a long term relationship in order to be able to be a good foster carer but this simply isn’t the case at all.
Stability of a household isn’t reflected by the numbers in them. In fact, some of our most valued foster carers are from single-parent households, and either have children of their own or simply want to give a child or young adult a loving and secure home.
Preparation is key
Whether you’re single and looking to foster in Nottingham, or in a relationship, don’t let your relationship status hold you back. As with anything, fostering will always have its’ challenging and preparing for your foster children is always a great start. Whether you’re female or male, straight or gay, young or old, as long as you have experience of raising or looking after children and are eligible to foster, then chances are you’ll make a brilliant foster carer.
To clear up any questions or concerns you may have about fostering as a single carer, we’re going to dive a little deeper into the life of a single foster parent – you may be surprised how similar it is compared to foster carers in a relationship.
How to thrive in fostering as a single parent
At Fostering Dimensions, we would hate to think that your relationship status is the reason holding you back. Whether you have children of your own or have some sort of experience of looking after children, the deciding factor shouldn’t be whether you’re single or not.
In our experience, many single fosterers make excellent parents because it’s all orientated around being driven, focused and dedicated to giving your foster children a loving home.
Fostering as a single person gives you the opportunity to receive financial support for each foster child you take into your care, on top of any working tax credits or child support payments you already receive.
Things to consider
When it comes to fostering, there are many things to consider before applying with Fostering Dimensions. There are also many types of fostering you will have to consider and ensure that it is the most appropriate for you, your family and your lifestyle.
Whenever you become a parent, biologically or through fostering, you need to dedicate a lot of time and energy into taking the time to look after the children who are brought into your life and into your care. This means that, as a single carer, you may not be eligible to foster if you want to continue working on a full-time basis or putting the correct procedures in place in order to care for your foster children, such as getting family or friends to mind your children whilst you are at work.
However, there are always ways around this. We appreciate the importance of a full-time job and even if you wish to continue working full time, you can still help foster children by becoming a respite foster carer.
This is when you look after a child on a short-term basis (often for as little as one weekend at a time), giving other full-time carers a break from their responsibilities
Often, single foster carers often don’t work full-time 9-to-5 jobs because of childcare commitments anyway and this makes them excellent candidates for fostering.
Instead of balancing family life with a part-time job, fostering with us gives you the financial and additional support you need to raise your family, as well as the rewards of helping to give a home to a child in need.
We want to get to know you
Whatever your circumstances, we’d love to hear from you if you’re at all interested in becoming a full-time or respite foster carer. Fostering Dimensions will work with you to devise a strategy that could see you become a successful foster carer, regardless of whether you work full-time or have children of your own or are a single parent.