Is fostering right for you?

Mary and her husband have been fostering with us for over 12 years. Here they share their story and what they think it takes to become a good foster carer.

Feb 04 2021 - 5 min read

“Is fostering right for you? A question we asked ourselves over 12 years ago. One day my husband came home from work and asked me how I felt about becoming a foster carer. It was a no-brainer for me because I love children. However, I also loved my work where I had a career in housing but after a good discussion, my husband said he would be willing to give up his job to become the main carer. We were not sure how to go about it at first but after finding an advert for Foster Care Associates Scotland in the newspaper we decided to contact them for some advice and they invited us along to an information day. Leading on from there we attended a three-day training course. This provided us with all the facts and information to allow us to make our decision. It was a lot to take in and think about but we decided to move forward.

Our application was then processed and we were approved for fostering. On the day our first foster child came to us we were like new parents feeling our way – excited and yet nervous wrecks!

We have been carers now for over 12 years and, while we appreciate that the challenge of fostering is not for everyone, we can tell you that the rewards have been great – seeing young, scared and lost children who came to us develop and become confident and healthy individuals is just wonderful and very fulfilling.

If you have a spare room and are considering becoming a foster carer we would recommend that before you make any decision you ensure you are fully informed of all the facts.

There are many skills you will need for fostering but these can be learned through training and speaking to other carers. You won’t be expected to know it all and with a good fostering agency behind you, you will not be left alone and will be provided with the necessary support and training required to succeed.

Some of the qualities we think are needed to become a good foster carer are;

Patience and humour
Good listening skills
Empathy
Good support network
Stability in your personal and family life
Ability to guide a child
Willingness to have Social Workers come into your home
Willingness to work with other people/agencies/birth parents in the child’s life

We would encourage anyone with a spare room and with any of these qualities to consider offering a child a safe and caring home. You will not be disappointed in the rewards.”

Want to learn more about fostering? contact us and one of our friendly team can talk about fostering with FCA Scotland.

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