Every year, over 30,000 new children are taken into foster care; however, with a substantial increase in referrals because of the pandemic and the shortage of foster carers, many vulnerable children are left without a safe, loving home. This can impact the child in several ways, including negatively impacting their mental health.
Thankfully, the future looks bright for children in care. Over the past few years, we’ve seen an increase in the number of people looking into becoming foster carers, and we can see why. Being a foster carer has many benefits. As well as being a hugely rewarding role, it allows you to make a difference in a child or young person’s life. However, before considering becoming a foster carer, there are some essential things you need to know:
1. What Do Foster Carers Do?
Foster carers care for children who have been placed in foster care. They do this alongside others, including the local authority, health professionals, schools, and the child’s birth family.
While caring for a child, foster carers are expected to keep records about their foster child and advocate for the child and attend meetings on their behalf.
2. The Age Requirements
The UK law states that you must be at least 18 years of age before you can become a foster carer. However, many foster care experts and social workers believe this should be raised to 21. They believe people under 21 do not have the experience to foster a child from a fostering agency like fosteringpeople.co.uk.
3. Are There Any Home Requirements?
Another thing you need to be aware of before applying to become a foster carer is the home requirements. The law currently states that foster children require their own space. This means that they are not allowed to share a bedroom.
While this may be true, there are no requirements about what you should include in or how you should decorate your foster child’s bedroom.
4. Do You Need to Be Financially Stable?
To become a foster carer, you must have enough income or savings to make sure you can pay your rent, bills, etc. While foster carers receive an allowance for fostering children, they shouldn’t have to rely on this money to pay bills.
5. Does A Criminal Record Prevent You from Becoming a Foster Carer?
Many people believe having a criminal record will prevent them from being foster carers, but this isn’t necessarily true. It depends entirely on the offences and the context. For example, how old you were when you committed the offence, how long ago it took place, and what you have done in your life since.
However, while not all offences will prevent you from fostering, some will. This includes violent or sexual offences against children.
6. How Long Does it Take to Become a Foster Carer?
The process of becoming a foster carer can be long, but it is worth the effort. The process starts when you submit an application form and finishes with a decision from the fostering service. It takes approximately eight months for the whole process to complete.
If you want to make a real difference to a child’s life, foster care might be the right path for you.
