Making the decision to become a foster carer can be a life-changing one for both you and your family. Therefore, it’s important to prepare yourself and your family for foster care. This might including having in-depth conversations with your partner, children and those closest to you to determine how it will impact you.
As a foster carer, you’ll be experiencing things that could be different to most families. It will come with different types of challenges and rewards.
In this article, we’ll cover the four biggest ways that you can prepare yourself and your family for foster caring.
Identify who will be important to have in your support network
Having a support network around you during your foster carer journey is so important. Determining who these people are early in the process can be helpful, and it can be a good idea to get it down on paper. This is a helpful exercise that can help you identify the formal and informal contacts (outside of your immediate family) who’ll be able to support you on your journey.
Start by identifying your closest support network (for instance your partner, parents, siblings, best friends etc.). Then continue to think about those who fit just outside of this network such as other friends, schools, colleagues, the Anglicare Southern Queensland team and community groups etc.
Outside of your close family and friends, we’ll connect you to additional support networks such as community groups, training programs and resources. You might find that talking to other people who are going through, or have been through, the same experiences as you will be valuable. There are many opportunities to build friendships and support each other during stressful periods.
Be prepared and informed to handle difficult questions
When you first talk to your partner, children, close family and friends about your decision to become a foster carer, they might ask you lots of questions. You should be prepared to answer prickly questions, misconceptions and stigmas that could come up about the process of fostering.
To help you, we’ve taken the 21 most asked questions and answered them in our Foster Care for Families guide. Click here to download the guide. Make sure to take some time to read through this guide as you’ll learn how to answer some of these questions and can be prepared when you’re quizzed by those close to you.
You may also like to take your family through some of the inspiring carer stories featured on our website. Click here to hear from real carers.
It’s important to remember that your family might not have the same level of knowledge as you and foster care may be a completely new concept for them.
Pick the right time for you, your partner and your family to talk it through
Where possible, it helps to pick a day and time that everyone in your family can talk about becoming a foster family, without any distractions. It’s also important to do it when you aren’t consumed by fatigue or stress. For instance, a Sunday around the table after lunch may be a better setting than mid-week at dinner.
You know your partner and family the best. There’s a lot of information to take in, lots to talk about and it’s a big discussion to have. Talking about it should be at a time where you’re all refreshed, relaxed and in the right frame of mind.
Remember you’re not alone
It’s important to get your partner and/or children involved as early as possible. At the end of the day, it’s a commitment that your whole family must be onboard with. You can do this by asking your family questions about what kind of children they would like. For example, if they’re a boy or girl and their ages). If you have your own children, they’ll likely want to have a say in this.
Anglicare is dedicated to celebrating the diversity of carers and the important role they play in keeping young people safe. We invite you to attend our Foster Care Information Session. Or you can speak with one of our foster care practitioners and ask questions relevant to your situation. Click here to register for our online Information Session or contact our team on 1300 000 828.