The Ultimate Guide
- What makes a good foster carer?
- What attributes & skills make a good foster carer?
- How can training make you a better foster carer?
What Makes A Good Foster Carer?
There’s no rule book when it comes to fostering, no list of qualities and attributes that are essential, and no fixed level of parenting experience required. In truth, being a good foster parent is all about your ability to care. If you care about the child or young person in your care, then compassion, nurturing and support will come naturally. It really is that simple!
What Attributes & Skills Make A Good Foster Carer?
When it comes to specific attributes and skills we look for in foster parents, at the top of the list would have to be compassion, patience, empathy and resilience. Being a good foster parent is all about effective communication, support, consistency, and a sure sense of teamwork when it comes to dealing with others in the child or young person’s support system. You need to be flexible and adaptable, like any other parental figure, and be able to compromise and adjust your routines and lifestyle to best suit your new addition. We expect you to be honest, fair, considerate, open-minded, and above all, loving and accepting, as children in care often need a little extra support.
How Can Training Make You A Better Foster Carer?
At Changing Futures, we believe that focusing on your growth and development can also help inform the growth and development of the child or young person in your care. An effective way of personal development that we believe makes you a better foster carer is initial but also continuous training. Our Therapeutic Foster Parent Training encapsulates this idea!
Created in collaboration with foster parents and young people we’ve worked with over the years, our agency has developed a thorough training programme that meets the needs of foster parents so they can meet the needs of the children in their care. Across 10 training sessions arranged at convenient, flexible times, you will learn a more therapeutic approach to fostering. Whilst we understand this sounds a little more complicated, in its simplest form, it involves learning ways to parent and nurture a child to enable them to grow and develop whilst also managing and dealing with trauma and behaviours that may affect them. It’s all about sticking with children when things get rough and confronting the obstacles that can cause high-pressure, stressful situations in order to help recovery and healing.
After these sessions, you will have an understanding of attachment theory, systemic practice, and mentalisation, as well as developmental, relationship-focused skills, with the option of further ongoing learning opportunities. Our training is designed to help you better understand and respond to a child’s needs, especially if they are more complex, promoting a sensitive and attuned foster care attitude.
At Changing Futures Fostering, we’re all about providing our foster parents with the information and support they need to really make a difference in a vulnerable child’s life. If you need any more information about what makes a good foster carer or if you have any other questions or queries, please click here to contact us. Or, please feel free to email us at admin@changingfuturesne.co.uk or give us a call on 01429 363 127 to speak to our brilliant fostering team!