There are many considerations to make before you begin fostering, one of which is the role your loved ones will play in your new family. Having a strong support network is essential for successful fostering. However, you may be asking if they’re allowed to get involved with your foster children and what will their show of support will look like. Throughout this article, we take a look at how your loved ones will be involved with your new foster family.
Helping Children Feel Included
When new foster children arrive, they need to feel included and as much part of the family as anyone else. Your friends and family can help with this by providing additional positive role models. Further, if your friends have children themselves, you’re looking at potential friendship for your foster children.
Help In Emergencies
It’s impossible to avoid emergencies, and the same goes for foster families. If anything happens and you need short-notice care, your family and friends can be there to save the day. When it comes to leaving your foster children in other people’s care, the same principles are applied as if it was a biological child. By this, you are responsible for the welfare of foster children in your care, and with this comes deciding who you permit to take care of them. Note that anyone you ask to babysit or similar must be 18+ and any regular arrangements must be pre-approved.
Homework Help
Children are faced with stacks of homework that can often cause stress. However, statistics show that 83% of parents with 9-13-year-olds struggle to help with homework because they don’t understand it. Fortunately, if you’ve got a younger relative or friend, they can come over and support you with the homework. Meanwhile, you’re free to tackle housework and prep the evening meal.
Day Trips and Breaks
If you’ve got adult children in the family, they can help you out by taking foster children on day trips. The break will be a fantastic opportunity for your foster child to feel included and will give you a breather to focus on yourself for a day. If you’re fostering in Glasgow, follow the link to find out what financial support for day trips is available to you. The cost of providing a fulfilling and enriched life is often covered by the local authority and foster agencies, you need to know where to look.
A Shoulder to Lean On
Fostering is rewarding, but it will bring a rollercoaster of emotions that can become overwhelming without a proper support network. When you’re having a difficult day, it’s great knowing that your friends and family are only a phone call away. They may not completely understand your frustrations, but it’s great having someone there to simply listen to what you have to say.
Conclusion
Your support network acts like a safety net for your foster family because they’ll be there through all of the tough days. The more interaction your foster child has with your family and friends, the easier it will be for them to jump in and provide the same high level of care.
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