Fostering is an amazing way to give a child the love they need in a supportive family environment.
Every year thousands of foster families give vulnerable children loving, stable short term care.
At a glance
- Fostering for adoption is a new initiative
- It's designed for people approved to be both foster and adopt
- Speak to the British Association for Adopting and Fostering for more information and advice
Other people foster children while waiting to adopt them - minimising disruption for kids who crave stability. Here’s a quick guide to the issues foster parents may face and the best way to help children feel more happy, confident and secure.
Fostering for adoption
Fostering for Adoption is quite a recent initiative, designed to get children into a permanent, loving home as early as possible - with a view to adoption further down the line. Aimed at people who have been approved both as foster carers and for adoption, it means children can be placed with you short term until the court hopefully agrees you can adopt them permanently. For a child who craves stability, this option is great for minimising disruption.
Learn about their background
When you’re looking after a child for the first time, it’s important to find out as much as possible about the child's health history and needs, so you know what to expect and how to help.
A new family life
Many adopted children have honed survival skills to deal with a dangerous childhood and developed a confused view of family life and relationships – and you can help them start again. Support for families is getting better, but often the onus is on parents to find the services and treatments that can help their vulnerable children feel confident, happy and secure.
Finding the best help
If you’re fostering or adopting, chances are you will need a lot of perseverance, patience and determination to help children overcome their difficulties and blossom in life. But there are plenty of resources available to help your whole family, so check out the links below.
• NHS Choices – for advice on a wide range of support and services
• Chat to your GP - ask your local authority or social worker about therapeutic parenting courses available to you
• The British Association for Adopting and Fostering (BAAF) - for more information