Posted: Friday 3rd September 2021
Becoming a foster carer is a decision for your whole family. Making sure it’s right for your own children is vital.
Here are 10 ways fostering might affect your own children.
- Your children will have their eyes opened and know more about the world and problems people have.
- They can become more caring and understanding of other people’s problems.
- They might appreciate their own family more.
- They might feel that they are expected to show other children how to behave and be a good role model, even when they witness the foster child’s behaviour towards them and their parents.
- They feel that the foster child gets away with everything and never gets told off or punished for anything.
- The house is never boring, always new people, busy, noisy. Children can feel a lack of privacy, time, there is always a social worker on the phone or visiting.
- Many children enjoy helping to look after a baby or toddler. They can develop skills for the future or a caring career. Many go on to become foster carers themselves.
- They can feel proud when the child achieves new things and know they helped. Proud of how their family helps children.
- They can feel that the foster child gets all the attention. They might feel jealous or feel that their problems aren’t as important
- It is hard to see children move on.
Our expectations of the sons and daughters of foster carers are high. We ask them to share their homes, possessions and families with children they don’t know. We ask them to cope with a wide range of behaviours from the children who live with them.
When you are fostering with your own children at home, it’s essential that you have a fostering service that considers your own children when matching children with your family, and includes your children in discussions about fostering.
From keeping the ‘pecking order’… to arranging family activities that will suit all of the children – we can advise you on choosing an age range that works best.
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