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Make your child feel special this Christmas with your fostering agency

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Fostering at Christmas

Christmas is the most wonderful and special time of year for most children, but it can be an extremely difficult period for children in foster care. Many foster children may have gone through traumatic experiences around Christmas. They might also find this time of year particularly difficult being separated from their birth family. As a foster carer, it’s important to help your foster child adjust into your family life, including Christmas traditions. You don’t have to do this alone. With the help of your fostering agency, you can make your foster child feel special this Christmas, making the festive period a happy time for the whole family.

Addressing birth families with your fostering agency

Birth families are a delicate subject to approach when it comes to foster care. Some children may not have contact, may have contact but strained relationships, while others may not even know their birth family due to being in foster care their whole life. Each foster child is different, so it’s important to communicate with your fostering agency to find out what relationship your child has with their birth family. If your child does have contact with their birth family, or simply wants to talk about them, you may want to address this throughout the festive period. This will show your foster child that you’re not trying to replace their birth family, but simply become an extended or second family that they can rely on. You can address their birth family by helping your child make Christmas presents and cards for their birth family to give to them on their next visit, or for their social worker to pass on. This will make your foster child feel special as you show an understanding and respect for their birth family and show that they are not forgotten at this time of year.

Whatever your child’s relationship with their birth family it is important you find out the facts. At Fostering Dimensions, we pride ourselves on being a fostering agency that has strong communication and relationships with our carers. We provide high-quality support for all of our foster carers through access to counselling, support groups and 24-hour telephone support. Fostering in Nottingham with us means you’ll never be left in the dark or alone on your fostering journey.

Past Christmas memories

Communication is essential when it comes to making your foster child feel special at Christmas. It shows that they are not ignored and helps you to build a strong relationship based on trust through shared information. To help understand your foster child’s past Christmas experiences you should sit down and speak openly and honestly with them. Reassure them that you want to try and make their Christmas with you the best one yet. Find out what they did and didn’t like about their past Christmases, so you can plan yours accordingly. This also gives you an opportunity for you to voice your Christmas traditions and find out how your foster child feels about them. Combining both your foster child’s and your own family traditions will help make them feel special and ensure your whole family has a happy Christmas.

Talking about past experiences with your foster child may bring up some unhappy memories and experiences for them, so it is important for you to prepare for this. If you’re fostering in Nottingham with Fostering Dimensions, we are here to help with any issues you may face over Christmas and throughout your fostering journey. When addressing sensitive subjects with your foster child, you may feel you need further support and with Fostering Dimensions, it’s always there. As your fostering agency, we can provide confidential counselling sessions for foster carers, families and foster children to help you through any difficult times.

Involving your foster child in festivities

Involving your foster child in any festivities around Christmas will help them feel special and truly part of your family. Planning Christmas day together will help prepare them for the day so they know what to expect and don’t feel overwhelmed. Decorating your home for Christmas is a big part of many family traditions, involving your foster child in this will help make them feel special. You can do this by asking their opinion when it comes to putting up decorations, or giving them a designated job e.g. putting the start on top of the Christmas tree. One idea for families to come together around the festive season is through shared activities. One way you can do this is through advent calendars, why not get creative and make your own? Each day could reveal a Christmas film, game or activity such as gingerbread decorating that your family complete together. This gives you the chance to bring the whole family together and make your foster child feel special.

If you’re worried about how you can help foster children adjust to new traditions and family life, at Fostering Dimensions, we are a fostering agency that makes sure everyone planning on fostering in Nottingham is prepared for the journey they are about to take. As your fostering agency, we provide training to all new foster carers and monitor your progress with a supervising social worker, so you’re never alone when it comes to fostering.

Personalised festive tokens

Small gestures are a simple way to make your foster child feel special this Christmas. As a foster child in a new family home, they may feel out of place as it takes them time to feel like they belong. Personalised Christmas gifts can help your foster child feel special and adjust to the festive period. You could get your child a personalised bauble with their name on to put on the tree, or a personalised stocking to hang up ready for Christmas day. If you’re feeling creative or looking for activities to do with your child over the festive period, you could even make your own. Making sure your foster child feels included and special at Christmas can often come at a cost. With presents and food to buy, it be an expensive time for any family. With the support of a fostering agency, you are not alone. At Fostering Dimensions, we provide financial support for those fostering in Nottingham. This means you can give your foster child a happy Christmas without worrying about how it affects your finances.

Thinking of fostering in Nottingham? Talk to us

At Fostering Dimensions, we want to make sure everyone considering fostering in Nottingham is prepared for any occasion, including Christmas. Making your foster child feel special at Christmas with the help of your fostering agency will help your relationship become stronger. We’re here to help with whatever queries you may have about fostering. Contact us today to find out how we can help you.