Choosing to become a foster carer is a big decision that should involve the whole family, including children already living in the home.
Fostering will have an impact on everyone in the household, and children of foster carers play a vital role in the success of fostering relationships.
Why are children of foster carers so important?
Becoming a foster carer will have a significant impact on the whole family, so everyone in the household needs to be involved and supported to understand what fostering means for them. This includes children and young people in the foster home, and adult children living at home or independently, who will all play an important role in welcoming and supporting a child fostered.
The whole family needs to be involved in the decision to foster. It’s especially important that children already living in the home understand what fostering will involve, and what might change for them. For example, children of foster carers will have to share their parents, their home, and sometimes their toys and friends when new children join the family.
Developing new relationships is not always easy, and children will develop the skills and confidence to do this in different ways. Foster carers will need to consider the needs of their children and children fostered to develop positive relationships with everyone in the foster family.
The impact of fostering on a foster carer’s children will be explored during the fostering assessment process and training is available for children of foster carers – but it’s important that the idea of fostering is discussed as a family, and children have the chance to ask questions and have their opinions heard.
Many fostering services have their own support groups and provide children of foster carers with support, training, and advice, once their parents have been approved as carers.