Thinking about fostering? It’s important to make sure that your children are ready and want a looked after child to join them in their home. For children, change can be difficult, so talk to them beforehand. It's a great way to make sure they’re happy for any transitions to take place.
Before speaking to your children, you may find it helpful to read through our information and financial guides. You can gather information about fostering before talking to them, so you’re confident in what you know.
Create some time for discussion
The type of discussion may differ depending on the age of your children. For younger children, a chat and play session may be more beneficial. It may take a few conversations to gather what your child thinks of becoming a fostering family. It’s best to keep hearing their opinions, so you know how they feel. Talk to them about a looked after child maybe living in your spare bedroom and include the idea of them joining in your family activities. Ask them how they would feel about them becoming part of your family.
For older children, you could take them out for lunch or just spend some time at home with them. Doing an activity such as baking and bringing up the idea of another child potentially joining in the future will help them understand how life may change. Chatting through your family traditions with another child involved helps them to imagine what life could be like.
Becoming a foster carer may change your family dynamic, so it’s so important to make sure that your children are onboard before going through the process. Your social worker might also want to discuss fostering with your children to make sure they’re ready for the change.
Read through our fostering family blogs together
Here is a blog we recommend reading together, to see what becoming a fostering family was like for other foster carers with birth children.
Hearing from the children should help yours to feel more comfortable with the idea of fostering and bringing another child into their family home.
Consider these questions with your children
How do you feel about another child coming to live with us?
How do you think things might change at home?
How would you feel about sharing family time?
What worries do you have about someone else coming to our home?
Book in a call with our fostering advisers
When you feel ready, you can book in a call with our fostering advisers. We can tell you about how the fostering application process works from start to finish. You can also ask any questions your children may have asked you that you weren’t sure about. Book your call today.
