Becoming a foster carer is a highly rewarding career This decision will take you to interesting places and put you in front of amazing young people. These young people from babies to late teens all need safety and nurture, which is where you step in. You will fulfill many different roles, in fact, during your time as a carer and each one will look a little different and develop as you gain more experience. The question of what being a foster carer entails is explored in the article below.
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You Get to Make a Positive Impact
The role of a foster carer is multi-faceted, so this means you will have multiple responsibilities.. There is a lot of information from agencies like thefca.co.uk which highlights the significance of this opportunity. The main focus, of course, is on the highly positive impact you will have on the life of a young person who really needs it. Your home becomes a safe base for re-engagement, much needed appropriate nurture, and advocation in the life of a young person who has faced extreme circumstances. They may never have known a positive adult role model before coming into care, and it can be a brilliant and empowering thing for everyone involved.
You Will Be a Caregiver First and Foremost
It has already been discussed how there will be multiple expectations of you as a foster carer. However, within that career calling the main priority is caring. How you care for your foster child or children will determine how successful the placement becomes. It definitely helps if you are a naturally a nurturing person because a lot of the things you will face will be met with more natural responses along the way. It is a career people move into because they want to, and this desire to help is what will bring success over the years.
Fostering Centers Around Resolution
There will never be an answer to every question. Nor will there be a solution to every problem. However, fostering is about finding resolution and encouraging positive attachment models for children regardless of their age. Where there is certain behaviour that might crop up, it is your job to meet it with understanding, and empathy and to be always thinking about how to find a resolution rather than wage war. Whether your placement is therapeutic or not, foster children carry trauma with them and that is not your responsibility to fix. It is your place to support and facilitate the rebuild while providing security.
There Is Admin Too
Alongside all the typical movements of a foster carer, there is an admin-centric side to the role as well. There will be regularly scheduled meetings, sometimes contact with the birth family, schedules and records to be kept. All of these things are a part of the role and are there to keep everyone in the placement happy and advocated for.
The foster carer role entails many different things. From finding peace in the chaos to keeping records of your foster children’s activities and engagements, there is a lot to learn and a high reward factor along the way.
