Children of Foster Carers Month is The Fostering Network’s annual campaign to celebrate the vital contribution the children of foster carers make to foster care. Each October, fostering services across the UK run events and activities to recognise and reward children and young people for the important role they play in their home, making children in care feel happier, welcome, more safe and more loved.
Show your appreciation
The children of foster carers play an essential role in welcoming children and young people in care into their families and are vital to successful fostering. Most children of foster carers report that they are happy being part of a fostering family, but expectations on them are high and there can be challenges to overcome. Children of Foster Carers Month is the perfect opportunity to show the young people in your service how much you appreciate their contribution and dedication to fostering.
Taking time to listen to the children of foster carers and hear what they have to say about their experience of being part of a family that fosters is an important way of showing your appreciation and improving your service.
Recruitment and retention
Many people say that the potential impact on their children is one of the major barriers to becoming a foster carer. The reality is that many children benefit from being part of the support network offered by a fostering family to a child in care. Seeing life from another’s perspective can be an enriching experience and can help a child learn and develop as an individual.
Involving older children of foster carers in recruitment information sessions during Children of Foster Carers Month can help allay some of the fears of your potential future foster carers and may encourage more to apply. Supporting the children of foster carers through groups and activities helps them meet other children from families who foster and share their experiences in a fun and safe environment. This in turn can support your foster carers and boost your foster carer retention if they feel confident their whole family is supported and valued.
How to get involved
Share stories on social media
Throughout the month we'll be sharing incredible stories of children of foster carers on social media, and you can do the same for children of foster carers in your service. Make sure you tag us using the handle @fosteringnet on Twitter so we can celebrate with you.
Send a thank you message or give a certificate
A great way to let the children of your foster carers know that they’re appreciated is to send them our thank you letter and certificate. Most children and young people like to receive something in the post that is addressed to them.
You can also ask your local mayor or another dignitary to write a letter to all the children of foster carers. In addition you could ask your head of service to record a short thank you message to the young people.
Secure media coverage
Besides thanking the children of foster carers for everything they do, we also want to raise awareness of how crucial they are in a fostering household. A good way to do so is to approach local media outlets and get them to talk about the role of children of foster carers. If you know of a young person whose parents foster that would be great to share their experiences why not try and arrange an interview? Not only will the children of foster carers in your service be really pleased that their great work is acknowledged, it's also a great opportunity to raise the profile of fostering in your area and recruit more foster carers.
Set up a group
If you haven’t got one already, use the month as an opportunity to launch a group for the children of foster carers in your area. The group can give sons and daughters a chance to meet, share experiences and talk about how they feel about being part of a fostering family, while doing fun activities together. You can read about one such group here.
Take time to listen, share and reflect
Children of Foster Carers Month is a great opportunity for you to show the children of your foster carers that you appreciate everything they do for children in care. Whatever you decide to do to say ‘thank you’, it’s important to take time to evaluate the success and impact of your activities, and to do so with the help of children of foster carers.
